


The New Order

by Cheezey



Series: Chronicles of a Dark Planet [8]
Category: Voltron: Lion Voltron
Genre: Drama, F/M, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-28
Updated: 2010-08-28
Packaged: 2017-10-11 07:28:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 31,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/109937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheezey/pseuds/Cheezey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow-up to "One Good Turn". The new union between Doom and Arus has been sealed, but at what cost?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

Princess Allura was not sure what to expect when she first walked into the majestic throne room of Castle Doom on the arm of Lotor, her new husband. When she had married Lotor only hours ago—though it seemed so much longer—it had been because she thought it was the only way to spare his life. He had been a prisoner in the Galaxy Garrison complex, condemned to death by a Galaxy Alliance council after she had turned him over to them for trial. She had expected him to get a fair sentence of imprisonment, and had felt heartsick that they had chosen to execute him instead, especially when the only reason she had Lotor to turn over to them to begin with was because he had saved her life. Granted, it was from a creation he had unleashed himself, but the fact remained that he had put himself at great risk to save her, and she could not let that be repaid with a death sentence when it was in her power to stop it.

But just when the situation had seemed most dire for Doom's prince, for the agreement to turn him over to the Galaxy Alliance was ironclad and there was no appeal process for prisoners of war, she had found a loophole in their laws that allowed her to reclaim any family member of hers to be sequestered on Arus. By marrying Lotor it was a way to save him, but such a marriage had serious and far-reaching consequences beyond that for both worlds. The Arusian princess knew that, so she had taken the precaution of outlining the most important issues pertaining to that merge in a contract, and she had gotten Lotor to agree to terms she believed fair. Still, she had been nervous about going through with it, both because of what changes it would bring about and because she had not discussed it with any of her friends. Not only was she certain they would have been adamantly against the whole idea, but it had come about quickly and she thought it best to act decisively and without delay. She had hoped once it was all said and done that her friends would understand.

What Allura had not anticipated was what had happened next. Unbeknownst to both her and Lotor, the witch Haggar had been in the complex disguised as Lotor's guard, in the midst of executing a plan of her own to free Doom's prince. Seconds after the ceremony that wed Allura to Lotor was complete, the old crone shed her disguise and teleported herself, Lotor, and Allura into a battleship that subsequently made a fast escape for Doom. Allura did not even have the chance to contact her friends on Arus and explain before Lotor was a free man again, and she his new bride—even though she no longer needed to be. Naturally their marriage was still quite valid, officiated by a Legal Advisory Droid, or LAD as they were called, and it was recorded and filed in the Galaxy Alliance memory banks even as they flew to Doom. Allura knew that the odds of Lotor willingly granting her an annulment in light of what happened were nil, for although he professed to love her and in the past had declared that he would do anything for her, she knew without question that did not include letting her go.

As soon as they had landed on Doom, a royal guardsman summoned them to see King Zarkon. Lotor wasted no time in granting his father that audience, and the two of them, along with Cossack and Haggar, went to the throne room as bidden. When they entered, Zarkon stood from where he sat in his throne—a throne now positioned alongside another, one less grand and opulent—and descended the golden staircase with his own new bride: Queen Merla.

"So it's true," Lotor growled under his breath as the imposing figure of his father and the haughty one of his new stepmother and queen approached them. Cossack and Haggar knelt obligingly to the royal couple while Lotor bowed and Allura stood there frozen to the spot, words utterly failing her at that point.

A strangely pleasant smile was upon Zarkon's face as he regarded them. "Well, Lotor. Now this is a pleasant surprise. Last I heard, you were making friends and influencing people at Galaxy Garrison." The smile twisted to a smirk. "Nice defiant up-yours speech at your trial, by the way. I'm glad to know that despite all your other failures, you at least do me proud in not groveling to those sanctimonious twits." His gaze then fell on Allura. "And what's this? A little token of your stay in Alliance territory?"

"Indeed Lotor," Merla interjected smoothly, "It looks like you've bounced back nicely since I last saw you."

Lotor's features darkened, and he instinctively tightened his hold on Allura's arm, addressing Merla first. "You mean when you came to watch me languish in misery and tell me how you'd love to help, but couldn't? Oh yes, you've _really _changed. I'm sure your friends in the Alliance will be just as impressed with your taste in men as I am." He then turned to Zarkon. "And you, Father, how loyal of you to sit there and watch the news feeds of my trial instead of assembling a force to free me, negotiating by force for my release, or even retaliating to Arus for the insult dealt our planet by my capture!"

Unimpressed with Lotor's indignant roars, Zarkon only laughed, a cruel and sarcastic one that echoed throughout the chamber. "Insult? Your repeated failures are more of an insult to my empire than your idiotic capture and that joke of a trial." His expression turned stern, and he stared his son down harshly. "If you weren't so distracted in your idiotic pursuit for your little princess there, you wouldn't have wound up there to begin with. Letting you stew was an easy lesson, my nitwit son."

"So you would've let them kill me?"

"Well it did occur to me that if you aren't smart enough to keep yourself from getting captured and tried at enemy hands and weren't clever enough to get away, you probably wouldn't be very good for my empire anyhow. And with your bungling, you've certainly _earned_ no rescue."

Lotor felt a fresh stab of rage. "And you sit back and do nothing." He frowned at Merla. "Except arrange for my replacement, perhaps."

"Like I said, no less than you deserve," Zarkon countered coldly. "But no, my beloved fool, I didn't 'do nothing' to assist you, otherwise you wouldn't be here now."

"Haggar and Cossack told me about how you forbade them to do anything to help me. Had it not been for their loyalty—"

"Exactly!" Zarkon cut him off, while the witch and commander straightened proudly where they stood. "Since when have those two managed to get a single order I give them right?" he declared with a wave of his hand. "I tell them to destroy Voltron; they come back here beaten by the mighty robot instead. I tell them not to free you, and sure enough, here you are." He sneered triumphantly while Cossack and Haggar frowned in irritation, their rush of pride fizzled out at the king's words. "Reverse psychology, my son, good thinking for one day when you're king!" He twirled his scepter.

_Hopefully much sooner than you think it'll be, old man,_ Lotor thought bitterly. He did not believe one word of his father's flippant explanation.

"Now," Zarkon interrupted his angry thoughts, "It's my turn to ask you a few questions, Lotor. Starting off with the quiet little princess on your arm?" As he fixed his reptilian eyes upon her, Allura straightened with a start.

A prideful smile crossed Lotor's lips as he faced his father. "Allura is now my bride."

Unimpressed in light of the fact that Lotor had claimed he was going to make Allura his bride a number of times and not a one of them had actually come to pass, Zarkon eyed the Arusian dubiously. "Is that so? Are you sure she'll go through with it?"

"She already has, Sire," Haggar spoke up, and waved the marriage certificate. "She married him back at Galaxy Garrison, right in the prison."

"Really?" Although the king's tone held a hint of genuine surprise, he still took the paper from the witch and scrutinized it with a critical eye. A quick look-over indicated it was not a forgery, for it held an official raised seal and was printed on the same quality and make of paper he had seen other Alliance documentation published in. "Now this _is_ a surprise," Zarkon said to Allura. "Frankly I always thought you were smarter than that, to marry a fool like him. Maybe Lotor was right and you are meant for each other after all."

"I married him to save his life, Zarkon," Allura told him in a matter-of-fact tone. "I believed he was going to be executed, so I found a clause in the laws to get around it. I don't expect someone like you to understand my reasons, and I don't care if you do." She looked away for a moment, unable to hide the distress she felt. "All I want right now is to go home. I never wanted to be here. Lotor was supposed to return to Arus with me as my ward."

Haggar cackled. "That was _our_ little surprise."

From beside her, Cossack nodded. "Yeah, a first class high-speed ticket home from that dump, not bad for a wedding present."

Upon hearing that, both Zarkon and Merla exchanged looks, but that time it was the queen that spoke up. "Sharp thinking, Princess. Not everyone knows about that law. There's rarely cause to use it." She paused as she looked over the marriage certificate. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you that this is still binding, even if the reason you married Lotor is no longer an issue."

Allura nodded. "I know that, Merla, and I'm prepared to deal with it."

A very cruel and triumphant sneer crept across Zarkon's fishlike features. "Are you? Because legally, you just handed _me_ your planet on a silver platter."

"As if laws ever mattered to you," the princess retorted icily to him. "You've been trying to take my planet ever since my father—"

"Forfeited it to me?" Doom's king argued in a booming voice. "Alfor lost any rights he had to Arus back in the Valley of Zohar when I struck my blade through his heart. You were barely out of diapers, little girl, when I earned those spoils." His tone took on a bitter snarl as he stared her down. "But your people wouldn't bow to me, wouldn't admit that they were beaten. Let me make one thing clear, Princess Allura, that rock of a planet you call home is now _mine_. Lock, stock, and space barrel." He clenched his fingers around his scepter tightly and leaned over her in a menacing manner. "And there is nothing further _you_ can say or do about it, my dear daughter-in-law."

Though his imposing size and powerful voice were frightening to her in that proximity, Allura refused on principle to let Zarkon intimidate her. "Lotor signed an agreement prior to the marriage," she stated defiantly. "You won't be enslaving or abusing the people of Arus any longer. He agreed to stop all attacks, grant my people the rights of citizens, leave the Voltron lions in custody with me, and free all the Arusian slaves."

"Did he?" Zarkon said, and cast a questioning look at Lotor, who nodded subtly. "Well my dear, much as he would like to be, _Lotor_ is not king of Doom. _I_ am," he emphasized with a glare at Lotor before turning back to Allura. "And I'm not bound to abide by any of his agreements."

The Arusian princess' face hardened in outrage and she fought a small feeling of dread that welled up inside her. She had not foreseen that Zarkon might simply disregard Lotor's agreement with her, and she cast her new husband an imploring look. "Lotor, you promised." Though that was all she said, the way she looked at him said much more.

The message was not lost on Lotor. He knew that he stood to lose the best chance he would ever have to truly capture Allura's heart and make her his in all senses of the word if he did not stand up to Zarkon, and he did not intend to allow his father to ruin the sweet victory of making Allura his after all he had been through to get it. "Father, I gave her my word as a crown prince. I may not respect the Alliance or the rest of the Voltron Force, but I _will_ honor my word to Allura." It was clear from his tone that he would not accept any argument. "Why not just free the Arusian slaves, Father; what will it cost you? They can be replaced. What's important is that we've got Arus and that Voltron won't ever trouble us again."

"True enough," Merla conceded, looking from Allura to Zarkon. "A few slaves are nothing compared to ending the Arus war and being rid of Voltron altogether."

"Whipped already, I see," the king retorted to his son with obvious disapproval. "But very well, in light of _family harmony_," he said with heavy sarcasm as he beheld Lotor and his new bride, "I won't upset the in-laws by leveling the Castle of Lions as a show of what it means to defy King Zarkon. Provided your people don't resist the new rule, there won't be any more attacks. If there's any rebellion, however, or those lions so much as trip one of my soldiers, rest assured that examples _will _be made out of them."

"And my people?" Allura said expectantly.

Zarkon's eyes narrowed; he did not like the girl's pushiness. "I agree to nothing except that I'll look over what my fool son signed, and provided it's not too ridiculous, I'll grant it as a wedding present." He then fixed his glare upon Lotor. "And you, my presumptuous son, had better understand that this is the first and _last_ time I'll be so generous in forgiving you for signing treaties that involve my kingdom behind my back. You're lucky this otherwise benefited me and put me in a reasonably good mood." A fresh note of sarcasm crept into his voice. "Though I am hurt I didn't at least get the courtesy of an invite to my one and only son's wedding. Ah well, I suppose that's what I get for eloping on my own."

Merla smiled from beside Zarkon, pleased that he had chosen the route of less resistance. Although she had already cast her lot as far as her loyalty was concerned, she still retained enough good will toward the Voltron Force, who had helped her in a time of need that she did not want to see unnecessary pain come to Allura or her friends. Lotor, on the other hand, she felt no such compassion for and could not resist the opportunity to needle him. "But it was such a nice little ceremony," she cooed sweetly, casting a poisonous look at the prince who had trampled her affections, "at that scenic little alcove on Tyrus. So memorable. Much better than my _first_ wedding."

"As was mine in the bowels of a Galaxy Alliance prison," Lotor retorted with an equally loathing glare directed at the queen. He then turned to Allura and pulled her into his arms. "But it goes to show, it's who you're with that matters. And who could be better than this beautiful, pure, delightful treasure at my side, a woman who all others pale painfully in comparison to?"

Allura did not need to be a telepath like Merla to pick up on the fact that Lotor's words were just as much flattery to her as they were barbs aimed at the queen, but if it bothered Merla she did not show it, for she maintained her cool and snooty façade. "Happiness," Merla said after a moment, "How lucky we all are to finally have what brings it to us. Be it love, victory," a catty smirk crept across her face, "or ruling an empire with power beyond what most can even dream of. Someday maybe you'll find out what the latter is like, stepson."

Any further exchange was then interrupted as alarms went off, and several robotic guards ran into the room in response. "Lion ships have been spotted approaching Doom."

Immediately Commander Cossack whirled around to face them. "What?"

"I thought the lions were part of your little contract," Zarkon snapped irritably at Lotor.

_The lions!_ Allura thought wildly, partly elated that her friends were on their way and partly dreading what might happen next. "They haven't been notified," she said a moment later while Cossack conferred with the robots. "Haggar teleported me out of the prison before anyone was told about me marrying Lotor or our contract."

Finished with his briefing, Cossack spoke up next. "According to the command center, the green, red, and yellow lions are all on fast approach planetside, heading straight for the castle. Preparations are being made to fire when they're within range. Want me to stick around here, or go down there to supervise and make sure their aim's good?"

Allura gasped in horror. "No! You can't! They're my friends!"

"Uh yeah," Cossack said with a note of hesitation, frowning as he looked to Zarkon and Lotor for their official call with an expression that read something along the lines of "am I supposed to take this chick seriously?" Frowning, he added, "But they're still the Voltron Force, and if they attack…"

To the commander's surprise, Lotor was serious, and he held up a hand. "Hold off, Cossack. I think we should let them land." He smiled smugly as he thought about how nice it would be to have a chance to gloat to his adversaries, _especially_ to Keith…

Although not nearly as convinced as his son that Cossack did not have the right idea and that simply blasting the pesky lions and their pilots into oblivion was not the best course of action, Zarkon decided after a moment of deliberation that he would humor Lotor and his new bride. If nothing else, rubbing it in the faces of the Voltron Force in person that they had lost the war for Arus would be amusing, and if they got uppity, there was always the Pit of Skulls. "All right," he agreed with a nod of concession, "let them land and invite them in to chat." There was a sarcastic emphasis on the last word. "But if they open fire, feel free to return the favor."

* * *

"There it is, planet Doom," the leader of the Voltron Force mused aloud from the pilot seat of the green lion—since the key to his black one was still in the possession of the princess they had gone to the dark planet to rescue—to the displaced green lion pilot beside him.

"I'm surprised we're this close to the castle and no one's even tried firing on us yet," Pidge remarked from where he sat on the floor beside Keith.

"Don't look a gift landing in the mouth," Lance said as they made their approach.

Hunk nodded. "Yeah. For all we know, we may only be getting a break now because it's going to be that much harder getting Allura out of there."

"Let's just hope Lotor hasn't hurt her." Keith looked over his navigational readings. "Let's try to find a spot to—"

An incoming transmission that reached all three lions, not one from Coran or a Galaxy Alliance ship, but from Castle Doom itself cut him off. "This is planet Doom speaking," a robotic voice sounded over the airwaves. "You have been granted permission to land in the castle courtyard for audience with their royal highnesses."

"What? Is this some kind of joke? We aren't here on a social visit, pal," Lance snapped back over the channel in response. "We're here to get Princess Allura and take her home after _you_ abducted her, and we'll do it, whatever it takes!" He charged ahead, ready to strike.

"Hold back, Lance," Keith ordered before responding to the transmission himself. "We're not here for an audience. Witch Haggar abducted Princess Allura from Galaxy Garrison when she helped Lotor escape, and we're going to take her back."

"Peaceful negotiations can be made in the castle proper," the robotic voice replied neutrally. "Please land at the specified coordinates and an escort party will take you to meet with the princess and the rest of the royal court." Each lion's navigational system then received a set of coordinates.

Hunk frowned from his seat in the yellow lion. "Is this for real? I mean, it's got to be a set up of some kind. Since when does Zarkon or Lotor bargain?"

"Well they didn't fire on us," Pidge said thoughtfully, "so even if it is some kind of trap, if we keep our weapons on us we should be all right."

"Yeah, assuming they don't dogpile us and slap us in chains the second we get out of the lions or too far from an exit," Lance pointed out. "Castle Doom is a big fortress and these guys don't exactly have a track record of playing it straight."

Keith considered their options. "Either way, it _is_ the easiest way inside and directly to the princess. Since they know we're here, we're not going to have the advantage of stealth anyway. We might as well go in with our wits about us and play their game. If nothing else, maybe we can free Allura and make a break for it."

Lance shook his head and smiled despite the fact that his instincts smelled a rat. "Sure. Crazy odds and walking right into the lion's den. Sounds like a blast."

"Yeah, but our lions are bigger than theirs," Pidge pointed out wryly.

"Too bad we can't bring _them_ in," Hunk added in a similar tone. "How do you think Zarkon would like seeing them show up at the footsteps of his throne?"

"We'll have to ponder that one later, because we're here," Keith said as they landed. The Voltron Force then disembarked from their lion ships.

"Parking here makes me wish we had an extra anti-theft system on these things," Pidge remarked as he patted the green lion's paw.

Hunk shook his head. "Just don't drop your keys. You never know who'll pick 'em up around this place."

"Or even worse, you do," Lance quipped in response as a greeting party of ten robot soldiers approached them.

"I feel great about this already," Keith remarked quietly. Much like Lance, his intuition warned him strongly that something was not right.

"This way," the lead robot stated as its companions surrounded them. The sentries did not raise weapons or fire, but they did flank the Voltron Force very closely, and as they walked into the castle proper, another group of equal size joined their entourage, flushing out the ranks of those surrounding them further. That did not help Keith's uneasy feeling in the least, but his gut told him that the worst of what awaited them was not the robots but rather whatever Lotor had in store for them.

For what seemed to the Voltron Force like a very long time, they weaved through the corridors of Castle Doom until finally they reached the throne room. Some robot guards automatically pulled open the grand doors leading in as they approached, and to their surprise they did not walk into an elaborate trap or Allura imperiled in some situation that would call for their immediate surrender in a hostage exchange or the like. Instead all they saw was Lotor, a somewhat frazzled-looking Allura at his side with no chains or binds, Haggar, Cossack, Zarkon, and—to their more than mild surprise—Merla at his side.

"Queen Merla?" exclaimed the astonished Hunk.

"I thought you were with the Alliance!" Pidge added a moment after the yellow lion pilot.

"What gives?" Lance asked as he looked around in wild disbelief.

Keith's concern was first and foremost on Allura. "Princess, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, Keith," she assured him, but before she could say anything else, Lotor stepped forward into the space between them with a smug grin on his face.

"Hurt Allura? Now, why would I do that?"

Lance narrowed his eyes at Doom's prince. "I don't know; maybe because you're a two-faced lying scumbag?"

Keith's gaze hardened as it met Lotor's. "We're here to take her home, Lotor. You may have escaped Galaxy Garrison—"

"Take her home?" Lotor replied, and then laughed as he stepped back and possessively draped his arm around Allura's shoulders. "Why Keith, she _is_ home."

"_Arus_ is my home," Allura corrected firmly and cast an annoyed look at her new husband. Though she accepted that she had bound herself irrevocably to Lotor, she did not at all approve of him deliberately hurting Keith. Although she knew Lotor hated the human pilot, she would not stand by and condone him being cruel to those she cared about, especially knowing that simply finding out about their marriage would hurt Keith and the others enough without any of Lotor's gloating to add to it.

"C'mon Princess, we're here to take you there," Hunk said, and extended his arm to her.

Ignoring Hunk, Lotor said arrogantly, "Allura's home is with me."

At that Keith drew his weapon and pointed it at Lotor. "I'd say it's up to Allura where her home is—not you."

The second Keith drew his gun, so did every robot in the room, and they pointed their weapons at the Voltron Force collectively. Lance, Hunk, and Pidge also grabbed their weapons, and Zarkon simply shook his head and made a tsk-tsk noise. "Not very diplomatic, are you, Voltron Force? And here I invited you into my home on good faith for peaceful negotiations in light of Arus' recent entry into my empire." He glanced at Cossack. "Feel free to sauté them in laser fire if they fire even one blast."

"No!" Allura shrieked, and darted forward in front of her friends, arms outstretched, before Lotor or anyone else could intervene. The men of the Voltron Force meanwhile exchanged bewildered looks, and Keith reached to pull the princess to safety with them.

"Princess, what's going on?" he asked, his dark eyes searching the distressed Allura's features with concern and more than a little dread. Something in her eyes told him that his bad hunch from earlier was about to be explained.

Not about to stand for the black lion pilot so freely touching and with such familiarity what Lotor considered his, the prince of Doom strode forward and drew his light blade on Keith. "Drop your weapons now and let go of my wife." His voice was unchallengeable and laced with contempt.

Tears welled up in Allura's eyes as she faced Lotor. "Don't hurt him!"

"Your wife?" Lance said with a start, and exchanged equally shocked looks with Hunk and Pidge.

"You didn't marry him, Princess?" Hunk gasped.

"Princess?" Pidge echoed on a horrified note.

Keith's mouth opened as if to say something, but no words came out. His eyes, however, remained fixed upon her with an expression Allura would never forget. If it was to be put into words, she would have guessed them to be "tell me it's not true."

"Go on," Lotor said with a nod to his bride. "Tell them. Tell them what happened back at Galaxy Garrison."

"I—I married Lotor," Allura explained shakily. As she said the words, she felt Keith's grip on her fingers go numb, and saw a flash of emotion run through his eyes, fleeting as the lightning around the castle they stood in, but unmistakable regardless. Lance, Hunk, and Pidge erupted into a flurry of shock and questions from behind him.

"What?"

"Why?"

"Lotor?"

"It was the only way to save him!" Allura explained. "I couldn't let them execute him; not when he saved my life; I couldn't!"

"So you _married_ him?" Lance's voice was incredulous.

"It was the only way! I didn't know Haggar was going to free him or if they would or even could get in to do it, and I couldn't live with that! There's a law that if he's family, I could bring him back to Arus—"

Lance was unable to wrap his mind around the concept. "For what? For Zarkon to come blast him back out and attack us some more?"

"Arus is in my empire now, space explorer," Doom's king pointed out with a triumphant note in his voice. He found the exchange and dissent amongst the Voltron Force both amusing and satisfying to witness. "There's no need for me to attack it now, is there?"

"It belongs to us," Lotor added smoothly, and lowered his glowing blade, although he remained at Allura's side to stare down his rival.

The Voltron Force exchanged more looks of alarm, and Pidge looked to the princess imploringly while Keith still remained silent, although his expression hardened more with each passing moment. "Say it's not true, Princess," Pidge went on to say. "He must've forced you or something, right?"

Hunk looked at Merla. "Maybe under some kind of mind control…"

"Please; I just found out myself," Merla informed them with a staunch look of disdain. "I'm as surprised as you are."

Allura shook her head. "No, Pidge. I thought it was for the best."

At that point Keith could no longer remain silent, and he dropped the princess' hands, looking at her as though she had grown another head. "Best? To marry yourself to him and throw away your planet? You know what kind of man he is!"

"I know he saved my life and they were going to kill him!"

Lance's expression grew noticeably angrier. "Yeah and having these bozos in charge of your planet is going to do lots for your people!"

"_I'm_ retaining control of Arus. Not them!" Allura argued in heated emotion.

Zarkon tapped his scepter impatiently. "You know, Voltron Force, I don't think I appreciate your rude tone in my court." His tone was calm but the threat implied in it was unmistakable. "Guards…"

A succession of clicks indicative of weapons being engaged was heard a moment later, and the robots took aim.

"Stop it!" Allura shouted angrily, that time at Zarkon and his robots. "It might be _your_ court, but they're _my_ friends and you won't shoot them! I'm Lotor's wife and I'm ordering you not to harm your own citizens!"

The humor Zarkon previously found in the situation evaporated, and his eyes narrowed. "Defiant. I see that you and Lotor have more in common than I thought." It was clear that he did not mean it as a complement.

"Father…" Lotor's tone was also low and displeased, although for a different reason. He did not care what happened to the space explorers, but if Allura was harmed…

Zarkon cut his son off by holding up a hand in his direction without lifting his stern gaze from the Arusian upstart his progeny had taken as a bride. "Since you're new here and you're a young fool, I'll excuse your ignorance this once and take a moment to point out some of the finer political nitpicks of your little decree. Citizens of Arus, should I choose to honor Lotor's little contract with you—which is completely at my discretion and not final, I'll remind you—would have free passage on Doom as members of the Drule Empire with your world annexed. Last I heard, however, these space explorers weren't born on Arus; they're squatting there with free room and board in your," he smiled poisonously, "excuse me, _our_ family, castle. That makes them Alliance citizens. Not ours." He looked to the robots, ready to give the order to fire.

Allura's agitation escalated as Zarkon toyed with her on technicalities, and from her position beside Zarkon, Merla felt a stab of sympathy for her as she telepathically experienced some of the Arusian girl's emotional rush. She did her best to banish the conflict of emotion, however, for although she wished no ill will towards those who had once been her benefactors, the past was past and Allura had to learn that royals in the Drule Empire did not tolerate insolence, even if it meant learning the hard way.

Lotor, however, knew that if his father had the men of the Voltron Force shot—though he could honestly say he would not mind seeing it himself—that Allura would blame them both, and he would lose her, at least in heart and spirit, and he wanted to secure that adoration as much as he did her physical affection. Possessing Allura was a coup, but owning her love and having her desire him as he did her was his ultimate dream. "Very well," Lotor said to the Voltron Force men, "since it would upset my wife to see you harmed, I'll generously allow you the chance to return to the lions and get off this planet. You'll then have one standard day to gather your things and leave the Castle of Lions and Arus forever, and leave your lion keys behind." He smiled in cruel victory. "They belong to _us_ now. Set foot here or on Arus after that, and we won't be so gracious."

"Hey," Pidge piped up indignantly. "I _am_ a citizen of Arus, you know. Allura gave me citizenship when you destroyed Balto. I even have the paperwork to prove it." The short pilot folded his arms in a rebellious gesture solely to tweak Lotor and Zarkon.

"That's true," Allura agreed as she faced Lotor and Zarkon. "Pidge will not be banished. He can stay if he wants."

"I don't know why he'd want to—here _or _there, if what you said is true," Lance said bitterly, much of the acid in his tone that time directed at Allura herself. It cut the princess on a level she never would have imagined to hear her friend speak to her in such a way, and it reminded her of the time she had overheard them comparing her to Sven and finding her lacking as a team member. Fresh tears sprang to her eyes as she began to comprehend the magnitude of the effects her decision to marry Lotor had…

Ending his otherwise stony silence, Keith regarded Allura evenly. "Are you coming with us or not, Princess?"

The cold edge to his tone was like a second blade through her heart. Whether what she felt for Keith had been the love of a good friend or a glimmer of something that had the potential to be more, it was clear as could be to someone who knew him as well as she did that if she said no, it would be damaged beyond repair. Her heart broke; even though she'd had hints of feeling for Keith she did not mourn the loss of what someday could have been nearly as much as she did the loss of such a true and loyal friend.

She overheard Zarkon speaking to Lotor in a firm, no-nonsense tone. "There's business to be done here about this marriage here, Lotor. Arrangements to be made that require the presence of _all_ parties to proceed smoothly."

Lotor nodded, and cast a meaningful look to Allura, who decided in the interests of her kingdom to concede to Zarkon's request. "I can't, not yet," she said quietly. "I'm sorry."

The black lion pilot's jaw twitched slightly and he held back a surge of unwelcome emotion of his own as he looked upon the princess' torn face. "Me too. Goodbye." The finality in his words as he then turned and left made it clear to Allura that it was more than a casual parting as far as he was concerned.

_I hurt him,_ she lamented inwardly, _and I never wanted to! Oh Keith, I'm so sorry,_ her heart cried as she watched him and the rest of her friends turn to leave. Lance appeared the angriest, and would not even meet her gaze. Hunk only shook his head at her with an expression that seemed more of a disappointed and angry "why" than anything, while Pidge's young features showcased the sadness and crushed hopes for the future in his heart. _My friends, my dear friends, it's hurt them all! Oh, how did this get so out of control?_ She had to believe it would work out somehow…

The room fell silent as the Voltron Force left, leaving the royal family of Doom and its two highest court advisors silently bearing witness for several moments. Allura imagined that she could hear the lions taking off, even though they were deep inside the castle and that was impossible.

Zarkon was the first to break the silence. Completely ignoring the emotionally distraught state of his daughter-in-law—and if anything, mildly amused by her melodramatics considering how lenient he had allowed Lotor to be on enemies they hated as much as they did the Voltron Force—he tapped his scepter against the palm of his hand with growing impatience. "Arrangements will have to be made immediately. Naturally we'll recognize this wedding, but a formal ceremony should be done tomorrow for the nobility to witness. I'm calling a state meeting first thing in the morning." He turned to his fleet commander. "Cossack, spread the word. I want my entire advisory court, all the fleet high admirals, and all the high seats in attendance. Tell them it's mandatory, unless they're in traction or too far away to physically get here in time. Got that?"

The commander nodded, and grimaced slightly since he hated early morning meetings. "Yes, Sire."

"Haggar, I want you to prepare a few security measures for me."

The old witch nodded. "Of course, your highness." She knew Zarkon well enough to know that was a request for robeasts to be placed on Arus. Though they had agreed not to attack, it was common practice to plant a few that would lay dormant until needed should a rebellion on a recently conquered planet arise.

"Good. On that note, I'm calling a night. Merla, what do you say we get some dinner? After forcing the Voltron Force to eat crow, I'm in the mood for a nice big turkey drumstick. How about you?"

The pink-haired queen smiled pleasantly. "Sounds fabulous."

_I hope he has that ugly bird of hers cooked,_ Lotor thought nastily as he watched them depart.

Merla stopped short in her tracks and turned toward Lotor. "Now I _know _you're just kidding, but really Lotor, you might hurt my pet's feelings being so snide, and on such a happy occasion as your honeymoon too," she said in a saccharine tone. "For shame."

"Good night, Lotor; daughter-in-law dear," Zarkon followed coolly, and looked to the guards. "Set them up a grand honeymoon suite, and send a few bottles of wine up to Lotor's harem girls to celebrate their night off. Ta!" He twirled his scepter one last time, and departed with Merla.

Once the doors through which Zarkon and Merla exited closed shut, Cossack shook his head and fell in step beside Haggar, also on her way out. "Man, what a bitch."

"Do you mean Merla, or having to make all those calls at this hour?"

The commander made a face. "What do you think?"

"Ah," she cackled. "Both."

"You got it," was his response, the last of the conversation that Lotor and Allura heard before the witch and commander left them alone in the throne room.

Allura became increasingly aware of Lotor's gaze heavily upon her in those moments, the first they had to themselves since the life-changing ceremony had taken place. She stared at the closed door through which Cossack and Haggar departed for some time, until she felt Lotor's hand smooth down along her arm in a meaningful, if not possessive, prelude to an embrace. A fresh feeling of anxiety fluttered in her stomach, and she turned toward him, suddenly feeling quite small next to her new husband's tall and muscular alien form.

When her gaze met his, Lotor tipped her chin up toward his gently and smiled at her with an eager, desiring, and—was it affectionate?—look. "My Allura," he murmured, and pulled her into a kiss. Frozen to the spot as her mind raced to take it all in, she acquiesced to the bold advance and allowed his warm lips to cover hers in a moment of passion that stirred feelings that further confused her. She could not deny that she was attracted to Lotor, but…

"Finally you are mine, and the rest of the night is ours. Let's not waste another second of it." With that he kissed her lips once more and released her, instead taking her by the hand and leading her through the dark corridors of Castle Doom.

She walked along with him, alternately feeling intimidated by the grim and shadowy surroundings of the enemy fortress and relieved to be with one who was so comfortable there and who seemed to genuinely care for her more than she had once believed him capable. She knew that Lotor expected to consummate their union when they reached their destination, and she would have been lying if she said the thought did not frighten her. It was not that she thought Lotor would hurt her deliberately; she had faith that he would not. However, she was a sheltered girl and the kisses she had shared with Lotor were about the extent of her sexual experience. Nanny and Coran had ensured that she had the "proper" upbringing befitting of a princess, which meant that while she knew the basics of sex from a biological standpoint from studies, she certainly had no firsthand knowledge, and had been extensively warned about the vile, painful, and demeaning things a "scoundrel" like Lotor or those on Doom would do to satisfy their "perversions" as her guardians had called them.

Soon they reached a wide spiral staircase, decorated with an intricately woven maroon and gold runner, that led to a private tower. There was also an elevator at the base, framed in gold with a skull design at the top that matched Lotor's belt, but he chose to lead her up the stairs rather than take that. When they reached the top there was a polished black door with the same frame design as the elevators, which opened up into a lavish and spacious private suite.

"My sanctuary," Lotor told her with a sweeping gesture of his arm, indicating for her to go forward. "No one will disturb us here." He noticed that the room had been hastily set up with a tray of fresh wine, fruit, and confections. "Make yourself comfortable. Tonight it is ours."

"Will I—is this where I'll be living?"

"You are my bride, and as one day I will be king you will be queen. You will be given your own tower for your possessions and personal space. It'll take time to set up, but in the meantime you're more than welcome in my suite. You, my dear Allura, are the only one I would not consider an intruder on my space." He pulled her into his arms once again. "Most nights I would have you at my side and in my bed, or in yours if you prefer, but more so than you might think, I understand the need for space. I won't begrudge you that as long as I have your love and loyalty." He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. "And how I've looked forward to this night, when I have you beside me for the first time…"

Her heart pounded again at the direct mention of what awaited, and at the way his intense gaze made her feel. She was nervous knowing how soon she would experience the consummation of their union, whether she was ready or not. Though she did not want to believe Lotor would force her if she insisted, she also knew that she could not stall or put him off forever. A wife was expected to be intimate with a husband, and although there were loveless marriages of convenience on all worlds, the love missing out of them was not necessarily physical. Even the most practical of marriages often had one or two token couplings.

"Lotor," she murmured as she sought out the right words, "please don't—"

Tightening his grip on her, he pressed his lips to hers in a firm, somewhat dominating kiss. "I won't hurt you, Allura. You have my word, on my honor as a prince. I will love and caress you like the treasure you are." He smoothed his hands along the outline of her body as he pulled her against him. "I want you to feel desire and pleasure, for you to feel what I do for you, to crave my touch and affection like I do yours."

"You won't…" Her voice trailed off. She did not even like to think about the sorts of things Nanny had warned her about, much less vocalize them.

He nuzzled against her cheek in gentle, if not a bit eager, desire. "I won't do anything that you don't want," he asserted, "as long you give yourself to me for that which you enjoy."

"All right." Her agreement sounded more confident than she felt as she lifted a shaky hand and slid it along his hip. His torso, like the rest of him, was strong and muscular; Lotor was an attractive man with a physique that most males would envy. Touching him was pleasant, although through her anxiousness that was a distraction at best. She felt clumsy and inexperienced, and surely a man like Lotor who had a harem full of pleasure slaves could tell that in an instant. Although that did not shame Allura—for him to think the inverse about her virtue was far worse—not knowing what to do did make the moment very awkward.

If Lotor was put off by that he did not show it however, and his desiring look intensified at her touch. He kissed her again, with more passion and intent, and then broke their embrace long enough to lead to his bed. She was not surprised to see that his bed was large and plush, made up in thick velvety sheets of luxurious fabrics in rich colors, accented with pillows both for function and decoration. He brought her to its edge and sat down before pulling her into his lap into another desiring embrace.

"I'll make this a night you never forget," Lotor whispered in husky promise as he planted soft and hungry kisses along her jaw line. His hands began to explore her curves with more familiarity, and touched upon places over her clothes no man had yet to touch the Arusian princess. A shiver of fear—of the unknown that awaited her, and the conflicting mix of emotions that the erotic touch of Doom's prince inspired in her—ran through her at that, although she did not still his hand. Instead she followed his lead and kept her word to be with him willingly, and caressed his masculine form in a naïve and curious manner.

The thrill of his longtime fantasy finally coming true fueled Lotor's desire to ravish his long-desired bride to new heights, and the reality of her compliant touch only made it that much harder to keep temptation at bay. "Your touch is like the divine caress of the gods themselves," he told her with an aroused growl in his tone. While some might have found a line like that difficult to say without smirking or sputtering, Lotor truly meant it in regards to Allura, and it conveyed in his every action. "I want to touch you, skin to skin."

Allura closed her eyes as the passion in Lotor's advances mounted and his touches became more urgent. "I know," she murmured in response, unable to say anything else, even the truth that a part of her wanted to satisfy that same curiosity as much as he did. She then leaned back and found the zipper on her Voltron Force flight suit; what she had been wearing when she went to Galaxy Garrison. Feeling Lotor's eyes intent upon her as she did so, she gingerly pulled it down, exposing the undergarments she had on beneath it—a plain white corset bustier, which Nanny always insisted she wear to look proper in her dresses and jumpsuit, and simple white panties with lacy trim.

Removing the jumpsuit was never a graceful thing, and she became very aware of that as she then leaned down to take off her flight boots. Lotor watched in rapt silence as she pulled the footwear off and set it on the floor, and then as she peeled the flight suit over her shoulder, showing off a great deal of her skin to him for the first time.

Wordlessly Lotor reached up to help her peel her stubborn flight garb back, exposing her to him that much faster. He was not rushed or crass about it, and he drank in the sight of every newly exposed inch of her form with unashamed delight. When the flight suit was discarded, he stood beside Allura and reached around to unfasten the corset. She could not help but flush awkwardly when he pulled it away and looked at her bared body. She felt both embarrassed and vulnerable so naked, and also uncomfortable in the intensity of his gaze. The lust in Lotor's eyes could not be denied, but there was a magnetism of attraction and feeling that she could not deny either, and that she did not know how to deal with. "You're beautiful, Allura," he said after a moment, and smoothed his fingers over her bare breasts in delight. "To the eyes and touch."

He then slid his hands downward to her last remaining garment and gathered its edges in his strong, masculine fingers, and then pulled that down as well, leaving her completely naked before him. His face lit up in delight as he took in the sight of her nude body in full; his fantasies of her had been vivid but reality was so much better. She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off before she could and guided her to the bed, where she first sat gently on the edge and then leaned back into a more reclined position, waiting for him to join her.

Lotor's clothes felt like more of a burden and obstacle than ever, and he quickly worked to divest himself of them. Allura did not participate in that and only lay there waiting for him to make his next move. As she watched him strip she felt strange and detached for a moment, almost as though she was watching someone somewhere else and it was not really happening. That lasted only a moment, however, before her now naked husband—who she had to admit was quite an eyeful—joined her on the bed and pulled her into a passionate and intimate embrace.

His hot skin on hers and his strong body pressed against her lithe one was an incredible sensation, and the lust that the princess had not wanted to admit even existed bubbled to the surface in that passionate moment. Though it was not anything like what she had ever imagined her first time with the prince she knew she would wed one day would be, it was an unforgettable experience and despite how she knew she should feel toward a man like Lotor, she enjoyed it. That thought did shame her, although her logic argued that there was nothing wrong with fulfilling her duty to a legal husband. Still, another inner voice conflicted with those pleasured and excited ones, one that said to make love to Lotor and enjoy it so was to betray Arus and her friends, for how could she give herself, her body, and her love to a monster of a man that had done so many horrible things?

_Because he loves you,_ that hopelessly idealistic voice inside her said even as his hands touched her in ways that simultaneously made her blush in shame and coo with pleasure. _Because he was willing to die for you, because there is good in him and you care. He can change… you can help him become a prince in soul as well as title…_

She opened her eyes when she felt Lotor shift suddenly and stop, positioning himself above her in such a way that she knew he was ready to consummate their act and take her virginity. Her heart pounded as she beheld the look in his eyes, one of both affection and lust that combined into what she knew Lotor called love.

Their eyes met for that long moment, hers filled with a gentle and nervous trusting look that only made Lotor happier. "Finally, my Allura, we are together," he said, and as gently as he could manage, entered her.

The act was not without discomfort for Allura, for although she was aroused and had certainly taken enough knocks piloting the lion that there were no longer any physical barriers to break or bleed, Lotor was well endowed and she was not accustomed to the intensity of sex with him. Though he had promised to be gentle, he was still physically much bigger than she and had a much different concept of what was painful or rough. When she cried out he slowed and did his best to turn that pain to pleasure, but much of the act was awkward between her inexperience and lesser threshold of pain. In the end, Lotor was the one who derived the most physical pleasure from that act, for although he lasted some time his excitement eventually got the better of him. Allura was disenchanted to discover that a peak of pleasure was not a guarantee for a woman during intercourse as the romance novels she had read when Nanny was not looking implied.

Their marriage night did not end there, however, for Lotor did make good on his promise to see to it that she felt pleasure. When it became evident that given their preferences and tolerances their coupling technique would have to be perfected with practice—a concept he had no objection to, naturally—he made sure that she achieved her peak by alternate means. It was easier to be gentle with his fingertips and his lips, and before the night was over Allura did experience her first climax. Lotor committed the look on her face to memory, the moment her body first caved to carnal pleasure at his touch. It pleased him beyond measure to know that she was truly his in all senses of the word. Even if she had not said she loved him yet, he knew she did and that one day she would admit it. It was only a matter of time.

In the darkness of the suite as the two drifted off to sleep, the conflicting thoughts Allura managed to banish partway through the consummation of their marriage resurfaced again, invading the temporary sanctuary of pleasure in her unlikely husband's bed. Though she had genuinely enjoyed the experience with Lotor, a surprise considering all of her earlier fears and the other conflicts surrounding their strange relationship, she knew that come morning the reality of their situation would greet them harshly once more. With that as the last conscious thought on her mind, she nuzzled a little closer to the strong arms of her now sleeping husband, taking comfort in them and in the pleasant intimacy free of conflict that they had briefly shared for as long as she could cling to it.


	2. Part Two

The mood was far more somber in the green, yellow, and red lions as they flew home to Arus. The four Voltron Force pilots barely said a word to each other as they flew home, mulling over the shocking news in their own ways. Lance was so angry that he could barely see straight, let alone talk about it. To him, Allura's decision was no less than a betrayal—unintentional, perhaps, but one that he found hard to reconcile or forgive. Though he was young, he was a cynical soul, and he shared none of the faith she seemed to have that Lotor would honor a single word he uttered to her. He fully expected him and Zarkon to enslave and further decimate Arus under their rule, and the fact that she did not see that, and had not even trusted the rest of her own team and friends enough to so much as discuss it with them hurt him deeply on a personal level.

Hunk too was angry, although less so at Allura than he was at Lotor. A part of him still clung to the belief that there was something else afoot, mental or magical manipulation at the hands of Merla or the witch, or that Allura had in some other way been tricked or misled. He did not feel as overtly betrayed as Lance, but like his friend he was also worried about what would happen to the people of Arus, and everyone else without Voltron. The thought of abandoning his lion and turning it over to have who knows what happen to it felt like someone ordering him to destroy a faithful pet that had bitten someone who provoked it. It ran against his very grain and as a result he piloted home in a broody silence.

Though Pidge and Keith shared the ride home in the green lion, little conversation took place between them as each was lost in his thoughts. Pidge was heartsick over the mess. He had already lost so much in his young life—his parents, his siblings who he saw only rarely, then his entire home world at the hands of Zarkon and Lotor. The thought of losing his new home and members of his surrogate family was almost too much to bear. While Allura had promised he could stay on Arus, what was the point of doing so if Hunk, Lance, and Keith were all forbidden to be there? And where would they go without their lions? Back to Earth, to get reassigned by the Galaxy Alliance? To Pollux, where Sven had been welcomed by Romelle and Bandor? He did not know; he only knew that he liked none of those options and just wanted things to be the way they were.

Keith was quietest of all. So many thoughts churned in his head that the long ride passed quickly, although not pleasantly. Allura's decision had hurt him on levels he not even known possible. In his eyes, her decision was pure insanity. He understood that she was kind-hearted and trusting, and that she was still very naïve in the way she always had to believe the best about people. Those were qualities he admired in her. Her compassion and willingness to forgive were what made her such a special person, one of the reasons she was beloved by her friends and her people. Unfortunately it also made her easy to manipulate, and that was exactly what he believed Lotor had done and would now do until the end of her days.

The hard expression that had been on his face when he left Castle Doom was still present as he watched the monitor. How could she do it? Knowing the reason why had not helped make it any easier to accept, especially when he did not understand it beyond an intellectual level. The pragmatic Keith did not run on Allura's emotional wavelength, and as much as he cared about her—much more than he could bear to admit given that it was something obviously meant never to be—he could not wrap his mind around Allura, or any sane woman, actively choosing to marry the man responsible for so much suffering on her world.

Yes, Lotor had saved her life. But Lotor was also the reason it had been imperiled to begin with, and in Keith's opinion at least that severely undermined any heroic praise it merited. Was Lotor completely evil with no redeeming traits and did he deserve to die? Perhaps not. People could change, and Keith did believe that in his twisted way, Lotor probably did care about Allura. That did not excuse his actions, however, and Keith thought someone like Lotor deserved at best to rot in a cell somewhere for the rest of his days where he could never harm anyone again. At any rate, he believed wholeheartedly that there must have been a better answer than what Allura had so impulsively done! Had she just gone to them, to him; had she trusted…

His lips pressed together more thinly. He could not think about that any more. It just hurt too much. To think about how one of his closest friends, a trusted member of his team, someone he had known so well…

_Maybe we didn't know her so well after all. Maybe she really wasn't a team player, and she is as irresponsible and immature as Nanny treats her._

Keith did not really believe that in his heart, but it was easy to think in that moment, and in light of the emotional blow he had been dealt such thoughts were the best immediate defense he had. Because if he did not believe that, if he had known her so well, shouldn't he have seen it coming and been able to stop her? After all, if Allura had made that decision to marry Lotor and bind her world and herself to him not in a moment of impulsive foolishness but in calm, rational thought, then maybe it meant that Allura had a valid reason to put that sort of trust in Lotor. Maybe it meant that a part of her _wanted_ to be with Lotor, and that was even harder for Keith to bear.

"Almost home," Pidge's voice cut into Keith's thoughts.

"Yeah." Keith's voice was uncharacteristically flat as the bright orb that was planet Arus came clearly onto their view screens.

"Guess we get to break the happy news now," Hunk's sour tone came over the speakers.

"Yeah, and then pack our bags," Lance's embittered voice responded. "I can hardly wait."

"Better that Coran and Nanny hear it from us than Galaxy Garrison, or worse, Lotor," Keith said resignedly. "And we might as well get it over with." The conversation then ended as the lions descended onto Arus and returned to their respective dens in the forest, volcano, and earth. Each of the pilots felt heartsick knowing that it was likely the last time they would ever fly in those ships, which felt almost like an extension and a part of them. Keith felt another pang of regret and loss as he thought about the black lion and how it sat waiting for its pilot to return to it at Galaxy Garrison, but Allura still held the key to it. He wondered what would become of his lion and the others.

"I'm gonna miss you," Keith heard Pidge say softly to the green lion as they disembarked, and he saw the shorter pilot pat its claw in an affectionate manner. The two of them then made their way into the castle proper, and they reached the control room around the same time Lance and Hunk did.

As soon as they came in an anxious Coran and Nanny greeted them, eyeing them with hope that turned to panic as soon as they realized Allura was not with them. "Where is my baby?" Nanny demanded heatedly.

"You didn't answer our hails when we saw you approach," Coran said, a dreadful feeling rising in him as he took in the expressions of the Voltron Force men. "I hoped it just meant our systems were malfunctioning or that Allura wanted to speak to us in person…"

Nanny was adamant, and her panic became more evident. "Where is the princess?"

Keith decided the direct approach was best. There was no nice way to break the news, so he figured he might as well just say it flat out. "She's with Lotor."

Both Nanny and Coran's eyes went wide. "What?" the latter asked, while the former paled visibly.

"You were supposed to rescue her!" Nanny howled in outrage. "How dare you come back without her, leave her in the hands of that—that scoundrel! You call yourselves heroes, how could you—"

"She wanted to be there, lady," Lance snapped angrily. "We don't like it any more than you do, so don't give us crap because she has it for brains!"

Too angry upon hearing that to even take umbrage at his crude language, Nanny leaned forward and drew breath to yell again, but Coran cut her off before she could. "Wanted to be there?" he exclaimed in shock. "What are you talking about?"

Hunk stepped between Nanny and Lance to defray their confrontation. "She stayed there of her own free will," the yellow lion pilot explained. "She married Lotor."

"What? You're joking," Nanny declared with a dubious look on her face.

Pidge shook his head. "I wish we were."

Coran looked from the youngest pilot to the team leader. "Keith?"

The black lion pilot nodded solemnly. "It's the truth. She married him all right. Back at Galaxy Garrison."

"Why?" asked the castle keeper with a gasp.

"My baby wouldn't do that." Nanny's tone was insistent, but with an unmistakable note of desperation.

"She said she did it to save Lotor's life. She didn't want to see him executed, and there was some law that said she could bring a family member to Arus if they were a prisoner." Keith shook his head. "That's what she told us."

"Was she under a spell? Forced?" Coran asked as his mind reeled from the news.

"Yes," Nanny chimed in, "Maybe trickery from that nasty old witch."

The black lion pilot's head shook again. "No. At least I don't think so."

"They let us land in peace and everything," Pidge said.

"I thought that was funny," Hunk muttered, shaking his head sadly. "We should've smelled some kind of rat."

"It stank all right," Lance said darkly, and folded his arms. "But Keith didn't tell you all the good news. Not only did she stay there with her new hubby, Arus is now part of their empire."

"Yes, it would be if what you're telling us is true," Coran whispered weakly, while Nanny clutched at his arm for support.

"May the divine help us," the governess whispered. Fear had become evident on her plump features, fear for Allura, for themselves, and for Arus as a whole.

"Zarkon did mention one thing while the princess was arguing with him," Pidge said.

"Yeah, arguing about not shooting us," Hunk muttered with a groan.

"He said something about a contract. I'm guessing she made some kind of agreement with Lotor about that before the ceremony, and from what they said it sounded like she got him to agree to let citizens of Arus be Drule Empire citizens if they took the planet into the empire. So you guys and any Arus citizens will probably be okay, not enslaved or anything," he offered with as much of an encouraging note as he could muster.

"As all right as any unwilling citizens of a new regime, I suppose, and assuming he honors that agreement." Coran closed his eyes and sighed wearily. "Oh dear… oh, this is terrible."

Nanny let go of Coran and wrung her hands. "Coran, can't you find out something from Galaxy Garrison about this and what we can do? What the boys can do to get our baby back here?"

"There's nothing we _can_ do," Lance told her bluntly. "Because they also made another part of that agreement very clear—Arus keeps the lions, but since we're not Arusians, _we_ have to go… within 24 hours, or all bets are off, according to Lotor." He glanced at Pidge. "Except him, since Allura gave him citizenship."

"Hey, I'm not abandoning you guys," Pidge said earnestly. "You're like family."

"Don't you abandon us either," Nanny urged, eyeing them with panic. "We need you here! Those beasts on Doom—you know they have no honor. You know what they're capable of, what they've done to this planet, and what they did to our king and queen, may they rest in peace!"

"We don't have a choice," Keith replied with a heavy note in his voice. "What can we do? We don't even have all the lions. The blue lion's down, the black lion is locked out—the princess still has the key and she's on Doom—and she and Lotor have some kind of agreement that we can leave 'peacefully' as long as we leave the lions behind. If they're legally married, then this world probably is bound to their empire in some way by law, right? Even the Alliance wouldn't be able to contest it?" He looked to Coran, who nodded back solemnly.

"Not without risking an inter-empire incident, no. I'll find out the specifics from the Galaxy Alliance database right away. But you're probably right," he said regretfully. "If what you're saying is correct, it might be for the best if you relocated at least temporarily to a planet that's not in contest to avoid making the situation worse. I'm sure Prince Bandor would allow you to stay on Pollux until this is cleared up."

Nanny clutched at Coran's arm again, and tightly. "But what about Allura? When will I see my baby again?"

"She said Arus was her home," Keith said, his voice catching a bit in his throat. He found it increasingly hard to talk about now that the true reality of it had more time to sink in.

"She'll probably be back soon," Pidge offered. "I don't think she likes being on Doom."

"Who would?" Hunk said with a shake of his head.

Lance's scowl deepened. "Yeah, well, I don't like being where I'm not wanted or allowed, so I say we honor her highness,'" he said the title bitterly, "wishes and move on. Sven'll help us out."

"Lance…"

"I don't want to hear it, Pidge." The red lion pilot's voice was clear in its both anger and hurt.

"Okay."

Hunk looked between his friends upset and distraught as they were with a profound sense of loss, to the desperate countenances of Coran and Nanny. "I guess we don't have a choice. We ought to go. Can't risk making a bad situation for you two, and I don't think Allura'd let them attack you. Lotor probably wouldn't do that to her as long as we're not here."

"Oh, please stay in touch with us. I just know we're going to need your help," Nanny said, searching their somber faces.

"And if you need it, we'll help you if we can," Keith assured her with an increasingly heavier heart. "Come on guys. We might as well get in touch with Galaxy Garrison to get a ship now."

Lance shook his head. "Screw that, Keith. They want us out of here that fast? Then I guess we don't have time to wait, you know how Alliance red tape can be," he said sarcastically. "Can't risk missing Lotor's deadline, so let them pick them up later. Because I've had enough, of all of this, and I'm not staying where I'm not wanted any longer than I have to!" With that he turned and stormed off, and leapt into his lion chute before anyone could stop him.

Keith slammed his hand on the console. "That's just great," he said through a clenched jaw. "That'll really help Arus' cause, him running off in a lion we're supposed to turn over."

"Just let him go and blow off the steam," Hunk suggested, equally drained from the situation. "He'll turn the keys over on Pollux. The rest of us can go in an Alliance ship."

"Yeah, Lance isn't a thief, and the princess knows that," Pidge agreed. "He's just upset, and I can't blame him." He frowned. "I don't know what she was thinking either. Maybe Sven, Bandor, and Romelle can help us make sense of it."

"Let's hope so," Keith said, and then looked at Pidge. "But until it's resolved, we can't be sure." He continued to eye the green lion pilot, deep in thought.

"What?" Pidge said, suddenly aware that his team leader's gaze was so strongly upon him.

Keith met the younger pilot's eyes. "Pidge, I want you to stay here."

"What? Why?" Pidge exclaimed.

Briefly looking from Pidge to Nanny and Coran and then back to him, Keith explained, "You have amnesty here because you're a citizen, Allura stated as much in Zarkon and Lotor's presence and they didn't challenge it. You can keep an eye on things here and you'll know how to get in touch with us if things go badly. You're a trained Galaxy Alliance explorer, and you're a Voltron Force team member. You can help them if they need it." He left the thought that Pidge could get to and pilot the green lion in a pinch unspoken, but he hoped that the young man caught onto it.

Closing his eyes as he picked up on the gist of Keith's intent, he said softly, "You want me to spy." He did not like the notion, not because he was averse to making sure Coran and Nanny—and the princess if she returned—were safe, to helping his friends, or because he was afraid of Lotor and Zarkon—but because it forced him to stay at the source of all the conflict rather than go with those who were like brothers to him.

"Not spy, keep an eye on things," Keith clarified. "For everyone's own good."

"Yeah, I understand." His lack of enthusiasm was quite evident. "But I don't like it. Like you said, we're a team."

"Oh man," Hunk said with a frown. "Losing the princess, Lance losing it and taking off, and now we gotta leave you behind. This day just gets better and better."

Pidge forced a cynical smile. "At least at this point it can't get much worse, right?"

"Heh," Keith replied as he fought back an unpleasant wash of memories of happier times in the Castle of Lions, times that included Allura and all of them celebrating happily as a team. "Famous last words," was all he said quietly as he turned to depart.

* * *

Though with the heavy cloud cover and driving rain from the storm that raged outside the fortress one could hardly tell, morning came all too soon for Prince Lotor and Princess Allura on the dark planet of Doom. At the appropriate hour a sentry was sent to Lotor's quarters—presumably by his father, for no one else had the authority or audacity to disturb the prince on the morning of his honeymoon—to rouse them, and their rest came to an abrupt end.

"Lotor," Allura murmured sleepily as the reality of all that had happened the day—and night—before tumbled through her consciousness.

"Good morning, my love," Doom's prince greeted his new bride with a sour note in his voice. _Father can't even stand for me to enjoy myself by sleeping in on the morning after my wedding,_ he thought grouchily, although he still managed to muster a smile for the sight of the beautiful Allura clad in nothing but his luxuriant sheets. "I'm afraid you won't get the proper luxury of a gourmet breakfast in bed the way the wife of the prince of Doom should today, Allura. Romantic that he is, Father made good on his word to call a state meeting first thing this morning."

Allura sat up, and upon remembering her immodest state, pulled the covers up around her. Although she and Lotor had been intimate the night before, she still felt it embarrassing and unbecoming to show herself in such a way when not engaged directly in such an act. Lotor on the other hand had no such shame, and boldly strode naked across the room to find clean clothing. "He mentioned that last night," she said softly, and did her best to avert her eyes from his bared muscular form as was proper. "What's going to happen at it?"

Lotor selected a formal dark blue velour tunic out of his wardrobe and put it on. "Father will announce our marriage to the nobility of importance—the high seats, the military leaders, and any on-planet visiting delegates. He'll also officiate our marriage under our laws and customs," he paused as he pulled his pants on, "which will include a marriage ceremony with one of our clerics. I don't know what your religion entails as far as marriages go, if your priests get involved as ours do, but you'll be expected to swear obedience and loyalty to our gods in the nobility presence even if you don't agree to worship them. Otherwise there'll be scandal, and the nobility will be resistant to accepting the union." He smiled thinly. "Athgar and the rest of the pantheon don't demand outsider faith, but they do demand respect. I dare say that's one of the reasons the old witch's magic fails so often. Her magic comes from outside their realm, and she makes sure they know it."

"Athgar, that's the name of your god?" Allura said softly, and climbed out of bed, quickly donning a nearby robe. It felt strange to converse with Lotor on such personal matters, the way one would speak to a friend or companion they wanted to get to know better, when such a short time ago and for so long before he had been a fierce and dangerous enemy to her world and all she stood for.

"One of our nine, yes," he said with a nod. "I follow Athgar, the god of war, battle, and glory." He smiled and put on his belt, patting the skull on it briefly. "This is his crest. You'll notice it in many other places in the castle along with the crests of our other gods; many members of the royal family have been Athgar followers. As conquerors it only makes sense to get his blessing above the others. We always honor all the gods, but in our youth choose one as our patron." The prince then glanced at a timepiece. "But we really don't have time to talk about this now. I'll have sentries take you somewhere to get you a gown to wear." His smile returned as he envisioned Allura in a beautiful formal gown, not the pink Arusian one, but from his world with her at his side as his bride, finally his for all to see and admire.

Allura nodded in assent, unsure of what else to say, and allowed the robot to escort her out of Lotor's quarters—her husband's quarters, her mind corrected—to another part of the dark and gloomy castle. As the metallic sentry silently guided her through the hallways, she edgily took in her surroundings, keeping a wary eye all around her as if expecting it at any moment to turn out to be some sort of trick and she would be attacked and thrown into a dungeon. Although she knew logically that would not happen, to her Castle Doom was still more an enemy fortress than a home, and she did not expect that feeling to change anytime soon. Moreover, she did not want it to. _The day I could call a place like this home…_

"Guard," a stern and familiar feminine voice called out from behind. "Where are you taking the princess?"

Allura whirled around and saw Merla standing there, a quizzical expression on the queen's ice-blue features. She was dressed in a manner that Allura had never seen before; gone was the "evil and chic" metallic warrior's armor she usually wore. Instead, Merla was clad in a rich purple gown of slightly iridescent material trimmed with vibrant blues, greens, and gold in an ornately embroidered and tasteful design. The platinum tiara with the crescent moon and her impeccably styled pink braid were the only familiar accents to her attire. While the robot replied with a repeat of Lotor's instructions, Merla frowned thoughtfully.

"Gowns, hmm? Well, while I'm sure there's probably something passable in the ladies' wardrobe, the prince's new wife deserves better than to wear the special occasion attire of royal arm candy." She strode over to Allura's side. "You're dismissed, guard. I'll escort the princess to where she needs to be myself."

"Yes, your highness," the robot replied obediently, and before Allura could say anything, Merla took her arm.

"Arm candy?" the princess repeated with a curious look at the queen.

"Lotor's harem girls. Since you don't have a wardrobe of your own here yet, their circuits processed the request to outfit you from a general pool," she explained. "The girls have clothing for all occasions; ironic considering what he likes them for most requires little of it. But occasionally men like to see their women well-dressed, and it's no secret that many of them have your look and build." She chortled. "But one can't expect robots to understand the finer points of etiquette and fashion sense, especially ones with masculine programming, now can we?"

"I suppose not," the bemused Allura said as she fell in step with Merla. "So where are you taking me? And why?" she added with a suspicious note.

"To keep my," she paused a moment, and then smirked, "daughter-in-law, is it? From showing up to her first state meeting wearing something that would brew an even bigger gossip storm than what's already been stirred by your little spur-of-the-moment marriage."

"Heh," Allura said softly, hardening her gaze in suspicion at the pink-haired queen. "You're a fine one to talk about spur-of-the-moment marriages, aren't you?"

Merla only smiled back at her. "Touché."

"Why _did _you marry Zarkon? I thought you'd changed—that you wanted to be a better person, and leave all of this behind." Her tone held a noticeable tone of disappointment, one that both amused and irritated Merla on some level.

"The same reason you married Lotor: it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"To marry someone you hate?"

At that Merla laughed. "Hate? Oh my dear, not loving someone is hardly the same as _hating_ them." She mirrored Allura's intense look back at her as they ascended a staircase. "Or do you really think love and marriage are interchangeable, even after marrying Lotor?"

Allura frowned at the implication in Merla's statement, and the cloud of confusing emotions it stirred. "That's none of your business," she replied curtly.

"Very well, tell me whatever you like, but remember, you can't hide your feelings from a telepath." The two of them stopped in front of a large set of double doors decorated with a skull crest, one Allura supposed was another of the Doom gods' icons. "And I mean this sincerely," Merla went on to say, "I pity any woman that gives love to a man like Lotor. Women in positions like yours and mine do better to use our heads rather than hearts dealing with these kinds of men."

"I know what kind of man Lotor is, Merla. I'm not a fool."

"No," the queen replied, and met the princess' defensive look with a surprisingly understanding one of her own. "But you are trusting, Allura. This is a friendly warning from someone who once benefited from that trust and kindness not to misplace it. Trust in Lotor too far and you _will_ be sorry."

"How you can talk about trust…" Allura's voice trailed off as she looked away. How someone like Merla, who had supposedly reformed and wanted to turn over a new leaf after she had been shown kindness only to turn around and marry Zarkon in a power play as soon as it suited her, could lecture about trust was beyond her.

Picking up on her thoughts, Merla snapped back in a momentary lapse of decorum, "And how you can doubt my motives but believe so wholeheartedly in a liar like Lotor is beyond me. I guess there's truth to the saying 'love is blind.'"

Allura's eyes narrowed at the bolt of emotion the queen's words stirred, but she managed to keep her composure and instead looked at the door. "Where are we?"

Merla opened the door and gestured for Allura to enter. As they went in Allura saw that it was a lavish bedchamber, although it was somewhat musty as though it was not a room frequently entered. "An unoccupied set of royal quarters; ones that haven't been in use for some time. They belonged to the last member of Doom's royal family with your stature; Queen Altora."

"Lotor's mother," Allura said softly under her breath, and looked around the dark suite for a moment before she returned her gaze to Merla awaiting elaboration.

The pink-haired queen strode across a large wine-colored circular rug that was embroidered in gold with the same skull crest that had been upon the door and beckoned for Allura to follow. "Like I said before, Lotor's harem girls might have dresses that would be appropriate, but I'm sure they're distinct and revealing, and we wouldn't want the prince's bride to be introduced in something one of those old nobility shrews might remember some concubine on his lap wearing at a recent function. I'd offer you one of my dresses, but you and I don't have the same build." Merla flashed a friendly smile that bared her fangs as she brought Allura to the walk-in closet. "After all, while we're both slender and have nice cleavage, I'm much taller. My formal dresses would drag all over the floor and look terrible on you without being hemmed, and we simply don't have time for alterations." She paused. "And while I suppose Haggar is about your height, I think you and I would both agree that those drab little robes hardly make for high fashion."

Allura entered the closet and scanned the racks while Merla pulled out a dress and held it up against the light. "Queen Altora, on the other hand, was reputed to have very nice taste. Elegant and beautiful, but classic and always stylish. Even after all these years, these hold up to recent Denubian trends."

"How many years?" Suddenly Allura felt quite awkward and ghoulish in Lotor's mother's closet, and wanted nothing more than to be anywhere _but_ there—preferably on Arus where she belonged.

"A long time," Merla answered, her yellow eyes once again fixed on the princess. "Queen Altora's death was long before I assumed the Seventh Kingdom throne, back when Lotor was still a young child."

"And they still haven't cleaned out her room," Allura murmured, the quip being the first thing that came to her mind in an attempt to defray the uneasy feeling that being in the room gave her.

Merla let out a delighted laugh and pulled a different dress off the rack. "I always knew you were fun, Allura. One day I think you and I could get to be good friends." She walked over to the comparatively petite princess and held the gown, a satiny light blue floor-length garment that was somewhat form fitting but not overtly suggestive, up against Allura's figure. "This looks like it would be quite flattering on you, and highlight those blue eyes that are so lovely in humans like yourself."

Allura turned the dress over in her fingers. Merla was right; it was a nice enough gown, although not anything she would choose for herself. But since she doubted that she would find anything like her favored pink and white ruffled dresses in a closet in Castle Doom, she supposed it would do for the time being. "I'll take your word for it," she said with as much of a smile as she could muster.

"That's the spirit," Merla said while Allura stepped behind a screen to dress. The queen then selected some shoes and other accessories, and within a few minutes Allura emerged looking every part a regal member of Doom's royal family—and unbeknownst to her, eerily similar to Lotor's late mother. Had it not been for the tied-up hairstyle—one Allura had hastily done with a brush and a few pins to hide the fact that she had not had time to properly wash or brush out her long tresses—and the more muscular build that had come with her tenure as a Voltron pilot, one might easily have mistaken her for the former queen of Doom on a quick glance.

"You look quite stunning. I have a good eye for color, if I do say so myself," Merla said wryly as she looked her over. "We should go. The meeting will begin shortly."

Allura forced a smile again. "I guess it wouldn't do for royalty to be late here any more than it would back home." She felt a pang of sadness as she found herself longing for the comfort of a familiar nagging from Nanny about an Arusian social function at that point.

"Not necessarily. Royalty invented the term 'fashionably late.' Nothing would dare start without us anyway." As Merla pushed open the grand doors leading out the bedchamber, the duo found themselves face to face with the dark and withered features of witch Haggar. "Sorry Haggar," Merla cooed with sarcasm, "hope you didn't mind not being invited closet shopping with the ladies."

The old witch's eyes looked from Merla to Allura. "The meeting begins shortly. The prince was concerned. He was afraid Allura had gotten lost."

"As you can see, she's quite fine," Merla said abruptly. "So run along. My husband doesn't like his court members being late to state meetings."

Though Haggar bristled inwardly at the deliberate reference to Zarkon as such, she did not show how much it irritated her. "Very well. Show the princess to the main doors so Lotor can escort her in."

The tension between the queen and witch was almost palpable to Allura, and although she did not feel particularly comfortable with either Merla or Haggar, the unacknowledged animosity made it worse. "Thank you, Haggar," she said after a moment in an attempt to ease it.

The old witch only nodded, and turned back down the corridor. Merla started to walk along as well, and Allura fell in step beside her. "Don't mind her," Merla said with a clearly sarcastic edge to her deceptively sweet voice, "old Haggar just isn't very sociable sometimes. That's one of her quirks, but you'll get used to it."

In return Haggar had some very uncharitable thoughts toward Merla, but she left them unspoken, and Merla, who heard them telepathically, let them pass unacknowledged. Soon they reached the outer chamber where Lotor waited for Allura. He frowned when saw that Merla was with his bride, but he said nothing about it and simply took Allura's arm while Haggar and Merla went ahead into the meeting chamber, leaving them alone for a moment.

"You look lovely," Lotor told Allura with an appreciative smile. "I've never seen you wear anything but pink. Blue suits you; like your lion."

"It was your mother's," Allura replied, and smoothed her hand down the dress somewhat nervously.

Lotor seemed surprised by that answer, but not unpleasantly so. "I was always told my mother had good taste. I don't really remember much about her, but I know she was beautiful. Again, like you."

"Thank you." She glanced down, uncomfortable under the weight of Lotor's gaze again. Although she had become resigned to her situation, her feelings about it—and Lotor—were anything but resolved.

He glanced at the door and took her arm in his. "It's time to make our entrance. Let's make an impression on them that none of them will ever forget," he declared boldly, the pleasant fantasy of everyone admiring the two of them in awe and respect swelling his pride to new heights. Without waiting for a response from Allura, he then strode forward through the doors with her at his side.

The reaction was no less than Lotor expected. The grand hall, the room in which that particular meeting was being held, was filled on both sides with individuals of importance. Nine prominent seating areas lined one entire side of the room upon which either couples or single individuals in decorated garb sat, flanked by others in clusters. On the other side of the room were countless figures in military uniform and robes of office, dignitaries and officials. Allura felt the collective weight of the crowd's stare upon her and found it impossible to not be intimidated—although she managed to keep her calm and regal bearing somehow—as she walked in on Lotor's arm.

Amidst the gasps and whispers she scanned the room for faces she knew, not necessarily friendly ones—she knew there were none of those to be found where she was—but even seeing someone she knew like Merla, Haggar, or even Cossack would be a tiny relief. _The evil you know is better than the one you don't_, she mused as she spotted the first at Zarkon's side at the head of the room, the second standing close to the royal couple on the side of the room with dignitaries and advisors, and the third on the side of the room opposite Haggar's in one of the nine seats beside a Doomite she did not recognize. Allura recalled the conversation on the battleship where Lotor and Haggar had made remarks about Cossack's recent wedding and she supposed that was the woman they had been talking about.

As she and Lotor traversed the room, Allura heard hushed more remarks and exclamations from those she passed. "It's true, that is the Arusian one," an elder Doomite woman murmured to a man seated next to her.

"Incredible resemblance…" whispered another.

"I wonder what this means about the Arus war…" yet another voice in the crowd theorized.

"I heard the rumor, but talk about a dead ringer—" a boisterous male voice carried slightly over the din of those around him, cut off abruptly by a sharp elbow to the gut by a woman Allura presumed was the man's partner.

His expression stern, Lotor's grip on Allura's arm tightened. "Pay them no mind. They are your subjects, your inferiors… their opinions are meaningless."

Allura cast her gaze forward and did her best to ignore the gawking and staring from the crowd as they walked on. She could then feel Zarkon's calculating stare upon them both as they neared, and she felt more conspicuous and on display with each passing moment. Merla's lips parted in a cordial smile as they approached, one Allura would have guessed was meant to be friendly or reassuring, but she found no more comfort in that than she did the otherwise neutral, quietly observant look in Haggar's yellow eyes as they watched from the sidelines.

Another hushed exchange just on the edge of what Allura was able to hear, and out of Lotor's direct earshot, interrupted Allura's thoughts when they passed the cluster of nobility seats in which Cossack sat. "Marrying someone that looks so much like his mother, my, there's something psychological to be said about _that_." The Arusian princess turned her head to glance in their direction and she saw it was the woman seated beside Cossack that had said it.

As she glanced in their direction, Allura saw a robed middle-aged Doomite man with a greenish hue to his blue complexion standing slightly behind them shift his weight and curl his lips in a sneer. "Much like marrying the man in one's dead son's job, eh Kuryaki?"

Anything further the man might have said was then cut off with the click of a weapon, and Allura noticed one of Commander Cossack's fingers twitching upon the edge of something on his belt while he glowered in the man's direction. "If I were you, Tonchelon, I'd watch what I said," he interjected in an incongruously amicable tone, "You never know when something—or someone—might go off in one of these things." It was then that Cossack noticed how close Allura passed, and the commander flashed her and Lotor a grin that only made Allura feel all the more uncomfortable inside.

If Lotor took notice of any of the exchange while basking in the crowd's surprised reactions, he did not show it and a moment later the snide interchange was forgotten as Lotor and Allura reached the foot of Zarkon's seat of prominence. Straightening to his full height, the king of Doom raised his arm and held his scepter high, and Merla shifted to an equally regal pose at his side. "Honored court members, lords and ladies of planet Doom, and esteemed leaders of my mighty forces, arise as I, Zarkon, high king of planet Doom, seat of the Ninth Kingdom and lord of royal house Dar'skel'Ayr, call this state meeting to order." Zarkon's powerful voice boomed throughout the hall and in an instant all whispers died, and the only sound to be heard was the shuffling of the king's subjects rising as bidden.

"As I'm sure you've all heard, this emergency gathering was called to address the matter of the end of the Arus war, and my son's marriage to Princess Allura of that planet."

A murmur went through the crowd again upon hearing the king make the official announcement that rumor had told them he would, but it died out just as quickly once Zarkon spoke again. "To settle any questions up front, I'm going to state for the record that both I and Queen Merla wholly approve and endorse that union, which will bind Arus' royalty to ours and annex the planet into our empire once and for all, with no further resistance. As a nice bonus," he went on as his features lapsed into a victorious smile, "Voltron is no more, and what remains of him is in our custody and control."

"_My_ custody," Allura corrected softly, but still firmly enough to interrupt, which Zarkon did not appreciate.

"Yes, _our_ custody," Lotor echoed. He knew how his father would react to Allura rebuking him in such a way in front of the crowd, and it gave him a perverse rush of pleasure to witness it. Lotor also knew, however, that Allura treaded on dangerous ground by provoking Zarkon, so he stood protectively at her side just in case he reacted harshly.

Lotor was right in that Zarkon was indeed annoyed, both by the presumptuousness of the Arusian princess and his arrogant son, but he did not respond in a grand display, instead he retaliated in kind. "Custody of the royal family _is_ our custody, my dear." His tone, coupled with the superior way he regarded the Arusian princess, addressed her in the way one would a child who had made some cute—but obviously childish and stupid—observation.

Allura felt a flush creep into her fair cheeks, both in indignation and embarrassment. Although she did not care what Zarkon or anyone in the room thought about her, she already felt awkward enough being gawked at by Doom's political hierarchy and Zarkon's public dig at her intelligence while he gloated about Voltron's destruction and claiming her world simply added insult to injury.

"Sire," a battle-scarred Doomite of mid to advancing age on the military side of the room spoke up while Allura's edgy frown wore deeper, "Can you please tell us just how this came about?"

"Yes," a court member wearing long blue robes agreed in a somewhat nasal tone, "last we heard, the prince was in Alliance custody as their political prisoner, yet here he is." He gestured to Lotor.

"The news reports have been interesting in their inconsistency at best," a sharp-faced elderly Doomite woman seated in one of the nobility high seating positions chimed in. "Would you be so kind as to sort fact from rumor for us, mighty King Zarkon?"

Zarkon smiled pleasantly as he addressed the court. "Absolutely, Lady Ristai. My son, whose questionable judgment landed him in that Alliance prison in the first place," he said, that time inspiring Lotor to frown at the public insult, "had an incredible change in luck. My faithful witch Haggar, with the help of Commander Cossack, was engaged in an operation to free him just as the newest member of our royal family—this _lovely_ princess here—saw fit to do the same on her own. You see, under Alliance laws, a marriage granted her the right to override their sentence and pardon him." He grinned so widely that his fangs showed. "What young fools will do for love these days, eh?"

A polite rift of laugher then filtered through the room, although Lotor failed to see any humor in it and it only made Allura feel worse considering the derision inherent in it. Before Lotor could vocalize what was on his mind however, Zarkon continued, lapsing into a more serious tone once more. "The end result of that marriage is the end of our long standing war with Arus. Princess Allura has agreed to call any rebellion on the world to a halt and permit the Ninth Kingdom the rights of a planet within it."

"And the Galaxy Alliance, sire?" asked another of the advisory court, a green-haired Doomite that clearly had other alien blood in him. "Arus was an Alliance world. Have they severed their ties with the enemy?"

"We haven't negotiated that far yet," Allura interjected, suddenly panicked at the thought of how the Galaxy Alliance might respond to all that had transpired. When she had first put together her plan, she had not considered the full political ramifications of her decision, and her mind raced to find a peaceable solution. Although she was angry with the Alliance leaders, she did still value the friends and allies Arus had through being a part of the Galaxy Alliance.

Otherwise silent up to that point, Queen Merla sensed Allura's conflicted thoughts and, perhaps out of a touch of sympathy for her, spoke up. "The Alliance likes negotiations; we all know that. Look at Commander Hazar of the First Kingdom. Arus' status in the Alliance hasn't been set yet, but we'll iron out the details in due time."

"Rest assured that no matter what happens, the Alliance _won't_ have any say on how things are run Arus," Zarkon asserted in a stern, unchallengable tone. "Besides, I doubt they're very fond of my dear daughter-in-law right now considering she busted their trophy political prisoner out of the slammer before they could execute him."

"I didn't break him out, I saved his life," Allura snapped angrily with a glare at Zarkon.

"Yeah," Cossack chimed in from his seat amidst the nobility high seats, "technically Haggar and I did the busting. She just got hitched to him."

"Regardless," Zarkon said, shooting a look at Cossack that told him firmly without stating such to zip it, "the fact remains that their marriage was officiated in Alliance territory and binding by their laws, and as of this moment I as king of planet Doom and all of the Ninth Kingdom declare it official by planet Doom and Drule Empire law as well." He turned toward the side of the room with the dignitaries and motioned to a Doomite man with puffy light blue hair combed slightly to one side in the front. "Veltaor, High Cleric of Athgar, step forward."

Veltaor, a mature Doomite man clad in a black satin robe, golden armored boots and gauntlets, and wearing a shining golden emblem of the same skull figure that was on Lotor's belt upon his chest took his place in front of the king and bowed. "At your service, great King Zarkon and beautiful Queen Merla," he said in a smooth, surprisingly pleasant and charming voice for a priest of what Allura recalled was Doom's war god.

Zarkon gestured to Lotor and Allura with his scepter. "If you would be so kind as to do the honors…"

"Of course, sire," Veltaor replied, and positioned himself in front of Lotor and Allura. Familiar enough with the ceremony from having witnessed countless marriages—including his recent failed one with Merla—Lotor took Allura's hands in his as was expected. Allura made no protest and followed along with a neutral expression on her face as the cleric began to speak, addressing first the court and then the couple directly.

The ceremony took the better part of a half hour, longer than many but short considering the status of who was being wed. Allura was mildly surprised to learn that Doom marriage ceremonies, while different in wording and custom, were not all that dissimilar to Arusian ceremonies. She did not understand a good portion of what was being said whenever the cleric lapsed into a foreign tongue—one she recognized from the sound as native Doomish but nothing beyond that—but her instincts gave her no cause for alarm or dread. Even the gravity of the situation, a marriage to Lotor, was something she had been through once already and had come to terms with. That ceremony simply made it official on one more world, in one more kingdom, and felt to her more redundant than anything else.

Lotor on the other hand was in his element, being witnessed by the important people of his world to finally laying claim to that which he had sought so aggressively and desired so deeply. Many, especially his father and Merla, had criticized and doubted him over the years, calling him a failure and implying he should grow up and quit dreaming, and that his pursuit of his treasure Allura was foolish. It gave him just as much satisfaction to publicly prove them wrong as it did to claim Allura as his bride with the blessing of his chosen god.

The part of the ceremony that dealt with exchange of adornments arrived, and the priest held out two appropriate items, no doubt selected by his father or Merla prior to the meeting. Following the instruction of the priest, Allura placed the adornment for Lotor, a simple-looking but expertly crafted golden ring bearing the crest of the royal house of Doom with tiny jewels interlaced in its design, on his finger first, as was custom in Doom ceremony for the one of lesser social status to adorn the one of higher standing first. Lotor then took his adornment for Allura, a bracelet—one that unlike the one he gave Merla, fitted tightly with a clasp and was reminiscent of a bejeweled shackle—and clicked it into place on her arm as the cleric said his invocation for Lotor to "adorn and claim" her as his bride.

Soon the ceremony drew to its close and the newly-again wed royal couple was bidden to kiss. Allura felt that strange sense of displacement as her and Lotor's lips met again, as if a part of her still did not believe it was all really happening and not some fantasy or story. The kiss then ended and Veltaor declared their marriage official in the eyes of Athgar and the rest of Doom's pantheon, and stepped down to allow Zarkon to reclaim the floor.

"Noble citizens, esteemed court, and brave warriors of Doom," Zarkon declared in a booming voice, scepter raised dramatically, "from this moment forth, I, King Zarkon, declare that the Princess Allura, first daughter of Alfor and Alyssa of the royal house of Arus, wife to Prince Lotor, first son of King Zarkon and Queen Altora of Dar'skel'Ayr, royal house of Doom, is to be recognized with the aforementioned title and accorded the privileges and respect due thereof." The room fell silent as he finished his announcement, and everyone present immediately bowed to the royal couple.

Zarkon smiled in smug victory once again. Though he did not like Allura, he was pleased to see Lotor acquire her and quite delighted to acquire Arus even if it meant he had to tolerate the insipid human girl in his court. He took a bold step forward and addressed the assemblage again. "In light of this auspicious turn of events, and to ensure a smooth transition for Arus into the mighty empire of Doom and the Ninth Kingdom, Princess Allura," he fixed his gaze upon her for a moment, "I'll honor your agreement with Lotor, and conditionally release all Arusian slaves."

Murmurs of surprise and indignation went through the crowd at that, though no one dared speak outwardly against Doom's king. Zarkon's expression hardened stubbornly as he faced the crowd again. "Naturally, replacements will be given to any who experience significant impact from that decree. In fact," he turned to a high admiral nearby, "I want you see to it that we acquire them as soon as possible." After the man nodded his assent, Zarkon looked to Allura and his son again. "I'll also allow you to dwell in the Castle of Lions and manage the merge of Arus into the Ninth Kingdom, and ensure that the new order is carried out in accordance with that rule."

A stronger wave of dissent rippled through the assemblage that time, and a military official wearing the uniform of high admiral spoke up. "King Zarkon, with all due respect… a teenage girl from an enemy world, barely not a child, from the very Alliance world that's been rebelling against us since before she could walk until now, _she_ is going to enforce Drule Empire law?"

Lotor's face hardened into a glare at the high admiral. "Did you forget that Allura was a Voltron pilot?"

Zarkon also frowned, but held up a hand to indicate he would handle it and for Lotor to quiet down. "I didn't think I needed to state the obvious, but apparently I was wrong. Lotor will be there to see to it that order is restored, Glork. Now settle down and behave and don't question my judgment again."

Lotor turned to his father with a start. That was the first he had heard from Zarkon about remaining on Arus for any length of time, although it did not come as a surprise and he had planned to spend some time there anyhow ensuring the Arusians properly bowed to him, and for the satisfaction of gloating. Regardless of the spin his father put on it to the assemblage or the Drule Empire as a whole, it was a given that Allura would not be trusted as one of them until it was proven they could do so. Thinking on it, Lotor suspected that his father ordered Allura to oversee Arus to appease her, to throw her a bone that would make it seem as though he was willing to work with her so she would be easier for him to control. He also suspected it was also a convenient way for Zarkon to get her out of his way on Doom, and on both counts the prince's instincts were on target. Lotor may not have liked his father, but he knew him well.

"King Zarkon," a tall and hulking Doomite seated in one of the high seat chairs interjected respectfully, "what exactly are you doing with the Voltron lions if we may ask? We heard that one was destroyed when the prince was captured, but the others still exist. They were a threat once with only four of them. I'm sure we all recall how that first battle with them went? An entire invasion force and a robeast annihilated in short order?"

"In all fairness, Lord Galohar, that robeast was hardly our best," Queen Merla pointed out with a pleasant smile, and with the sole purpose of needling its creator.

She was not disappointed by Haggar's reaction. As if on cue, the old witch tapped her staff against the floor and narrowed her yellow eyes defensively. "Nor was the leadership."

The predictable outburst led Merla to chortle amusedly. "Still blaming Yurak for your failure after all these years? You need to let things go, Haggar. The truth is, regardless of who deserves the lion's share of the blame," she went on, her smirk broadening at the pun, "the fact still remains that robeast was not up to par with the ones we've used recently."

"Because I've had three more years of experimentation and experience creating them that you weren't around for a good part of, Queen Merla," Haggar retorted with evident exasperation. "The older models did fine against conventional ships. At the time, the lion ships were stronger than anything we came up against. It took trial and error to create something that could stand up to them." Her bony fingers clenched her staff. "Remember, it was one of my robeasts that ultimately _destroyed_ Voltron."

"It destroyed the blue lion, actually, not Voltron. Voltron was never formed." Merla flashed a faux smile as she corrected Haggar in a nauseatingly insincere tone, while Allura experienced a fresh stab of heartache at the mention of the incident that had led to everything that was happening to her now.

"In destroying the blue lion, it _did_ destroy Voltron," Haggar asserted to the queen. "And I can easily create another that could do the same to the green, red, yellow, or black. That robeast might be gone, but I still have the design."

"That won't be necessary, because Voltron's lions are under our control now," Lotor cut in boldly to end the bickering, and turned to Zarkon. "Father, Allura and I will see to it that Arus accepts our rule without question, and we'll restore order on that planet in the name of our empire and the Drules as a whole. Allura's people admire her; they'll accept her decisions."

"And if not, you will see to it that they do, by any means necessary," Zarkon stated with a firm edge to his voice. "Correct?"

Allura did not like the sound of that in the least, but before she could object, Lotor answered for them both. "Naturally, Father." He took Allura's hand again. "Under our rule, with you as its ruling queen and me as the planet's king at your side, we will see your world flourish again, for the good of your people and the good of any Drules who wish to travel or conduct their business there."

Merla nodded along with Lotor. "That's right, Allura. One benefit of this merger is that your world can be rebuilt once and for all. Now that we're all friends and there won't be any more invasions or bombings or robeasts, we can pool our resources. Your people can have homes outside of caves and live in cities again."

"That would be nice," the uncertain Allura said with a faint smile. Although it sounded good, she was not foolish enough to believe the transition would be so effortless. The Drule Empire as a whole held very different philosophies and lived a different lifestyle than most worlds in the Galaxy Alliance, Arus included. Slavery being not only condoned but encouraged was a big one, and Allura was not naïve enough to believe that all of her citizens would be willing to let bygones be bygones with those who were once their brutal enemy. Many lives had been lost, her own parents included, to those who would be making themselves at home on her world, and those kinds of transgressions were not easily forgotten or forgiven. Allura was not so sure her own father would be proud of what she had done, but it was too late now for second thoughts. She hoped that he and her mother, if they watched her from the astral, at least understood her reasons.

"Rebuilding Arus and establishing trade in that sector could prove quite lucrative for the empire," one of the advisory court, an individual named Norax whose responsibilities covered the contracting of energy sources and fuels for the royalty and military, stated. "But it will take work and time. There aren't even spaceports on that world anymore with how this war's dragged on."

"It won't be that hard to get those up and running," Cossack interjected from where he sat. "Bet we could get that going in a week or two tops."

"And where will we get _that_ kind of manpower, Commander?" Norax scoffed with a clearly snide note in his voice.

Cossack folded his arms confidently. "Robear—the same guys that build King Zarkon's robot army. They can build anything in record time. I got some of them back at my place, and they can fix things faster than I can break 'em, out of stuff you'd think wasn't even usable."

"Efficient they may be, but do you have any idea how many Berbils it would take for an undertaking that size on planet Arus?" another member of the advisory court, that time someone from accounting, pointed out in a haughty tone. "We don't have that many Berbils on Doom or probably in the quadrant. And how would we get them there? Unless you'd like to donate the royal fleet's lazon supply for the next six months for such an undertaking?"

"There's a whole planet of 'em, for crying out loud," Cossack retorted in a mockery of the advisor's supercilious tone.

Ignoring the undercurrent among his inferiors, Zarkon considered what was being said and added his own thoughts. "The idea has merit—which surprises me since Cossack came up with it. But Robear Berbils are efficient little things, even if not very durable. Given how quickly they generate our robots when we need them, I don't doubt they could build us a workable spaceport system and rebuild cities in key points on the planet in a very short timeframe." He twirled his scepter and pointed it at Lotor and Allura. "I assume you two can keep track of that on Arus until we're established there."

"Of course, Father. That's simple."

"Well, I thought I'd check to be sure, since simple tasks _have_ given you trouble in the past, my beloved son," the king replied on a sarcastic note. "But very well, we'll proceed with that plan. I want a sufficient force of Berbils on Arus to rebuild it as soon as possible."

"Great!" Cossack exclaimed, breaking into a smile. "'Cause I know just who can handle that for you." He nudged his wife's side. "Kuryaki deals on Robear all the time."

At that Commander Cossack's wife's eyes went wide in surprise, but not the sort that the well-meaning Cossack had intended. In fact, the bolt of emotion that the suggestion sent through her, while completely missed by the commander, was strong enough that a relative stranger with telepathic powers—Queen Merla—felt it as well.

_How _could _he?_

Merla heard the thought and experienced the unexpected outraged rush of emotion in a surprised start. Though Merla did not know Cossack's wife beyond acquaintance, she was curious about what she had just felt, and after properly shielding her own mental defenses—something she often found necessary as a telepath—she began to read the woman.

Arus is where they killed him… I hate Arus, I hate them… how could he expect me… Merla could hear fragments of the woman's thoughts, and then put two and two together. Of course; she's Yurak's mother, no wonder she'd have a grudge against Arus. Merla eyed her with detached interest as the conversation carried on, mildly entertained to learn that Cossack was as oafish when it came to interacting with those in his private life as he was with his colleagues in Castle Doom. "Cossack—"

The commander, however, was utterly clueless to what Kuryaki felt or Merla noted telepathically, and grinned with pride, for he had not only gotten the king's approval, shown up a bunch of huffy pencil-pushers, but also gotten what he thought was a nice favor for his noble house and his wife. "Think nothing of it, baby. All in a day's work! You deal with Robear more than anyone else I know of."

Kuryaki clenched her fingers around the chair arm, doing her best to mask the emotional blow Cossack had inadvertently dealt her. "Yes, but—"

Still oblivious, Cossack then looked to King Zarkon, who nodded his approval. "All right then," the king said. "Planet Robear it is. I'll contract it out to your house. I want Berbils on Arus to start the reconstruction as soon as possible."

"As you wish, your highness." Kuryaki settled back in her seat, mood still quite vividly foul from Merla's still-observant viewpoint.

With that settled, Zarkon looked over the assemblage in the hall. "Does anyone else have any issues to raise, or shall I adjourn? After all, this is a happy occasion. It's not every day my only son gets married, and I do love a good celebration." When no protestations to the idea came, Zarkon raised his scepter. "Dismissed! Now Lotor, go and have a celebratory toast with your dear wife and our esteemed guests, and start making plans for your trip to Arus." As the crowd began to disburse he added to the newly re-wed royal couple, "I want you there before nightfall and those lion keys in our custody right away. Make _sure_ those upstart pilots are gone."

Allura started to say something, but Zarkon cut her off before she could get a word out. "Not including the short one, don't you concern your pretty little head about it." He sneered at the Arusian princess, regarding her like a silly child yet again.

"I'll be more than happy to make sure they're gone," Lotor assured and added silently, _and I'll be even happier to evict them personally if it comes to it_.

"Good. I look forward to your report from Arus, then." Zarkon gestured to a servant to bring him a wine goblet. "Now about that toast…"

Nearby where he stood after the dismissal was given, Commander Cossack also picked up two wine goblets from a slave's tray and waited a moment to make sure Zarkon was not going to call him over. Once he saw the king in conversation with his son and Princess Allura, Cossack turned to hand a goblet to Kuryaki, only to notice that his wife, who he finally realized had been a bit quieter than usual, was already halfway across the room. "Hey," he called after her, and when she turned around, extended the drink. "Where are you going? Don't leave now; the wedding party is just starting. The boring meeting and ceremony part is done."

"I'm hardly in the mood for festivities," she informed him icily, and waved away the offered goblet.

Cossack blinked, taken aback by that reaction. "Huh? Why?"

She frowned at him. "I don't have _time_ to sit and chit-chat with nobility. I have to get in touch with my contacts on Robear."

"Oh, that can wait," Cossack answered with a nonchalant shrug. "Berbils work fast; I'm sure they can fly fast too. You've got time for a glass of wine. It's the good stuff." He sniffed it. "King Zarkon paid Mom and Dad big bucks for this vintage. Hang out and celebrate a while. There's already too many dull people here without ones I like leaving."

Kuryaki's eyes narrowed. "Celebrate," she said venomously, "You expect me to celebrate the cheerful rebuilding of the world that cost me my only son? I think not." Her scowl deepened. "And I can't _believe_ you did that to me, put me in that position in the middle of a state meeting."

It was then that Cossack realized that her ire was not merely just a bad mood but also that it was directed at him, and he frowned. "Hey, I thought you'd be happy. I was trying to do you a favor."

She looked away. "Yes. I know." Her tone made it clear that did not make nearly as much of a difference as Cossack thought it should. "That's the only reason I'm speaking to you at all right now."

Although Cossack was a fairly easygoing individual by Doom standards, one thing he did not appreciate was being read the riot act for a well-meant gesture. "Look, I thought—"

"No Cossack, you didn't think, and that's the problem," Kuryaki snapped angrily, cutting him off. She then went on in a low tone as they exited the hall into the corridor outside, "You know how I feel about my children. How you could ask me to do something to benefit that dirtball of a planet simply because the prince saw fit to wed himself to that Arusian whore that helped kill Yurak and _not_ think I'd mind…"

Cossack's frown wore deeper. His own mood was souring quickly being on the receiving end of misplaced anger on a day he'd been dragged out of bed early to attend a royal state meeting and a wedding ceremony first thing in the morning to begin with. "Actually I'd figure that the big bucks you'd get profiting off of the misfortune of the world that offed your son would be a nice way to stick it to 'em, that and it'd be a nice coup for our house to score royal bonus points."

Kuryaki straightened staunchly. "I'm not going to talk about this anymore, Cossack. Enjoy your toast." She turned and stalked off down the hall while Cossack scowled at her retreating form.

"Yeah, fine. Guess I might as well since I'm obviously gonna wind up on the couch anyway," he retorted, and crassly chugged down the full contents of one goblet, then the other, and tossed both angrily on the floor as he stomped back into the royal hall, not even noticing that he nearly ran over Haggar on the way out. The old witch frowned as he stormed past, but said nothing and only shook her head as he made his way back through the crowd.

Kuryaki meanwhile proceeded the opposite way through the corridors of Castle Doom, and as she passed an archway that led to one of the fortress' windowed balconies, she paused by the window and stared off into the light grey morning sky, stewing in bitter memory. A minute or two passed before a feminine voice broke into her thoughts. It was not Haggar, however, but someone else that neither Kuryaki nor Cossack had noticed left the meeting after Zarkon dismissed it. "Lady Kuryaki."

The noblewoman turned around with a start and then gave an obligatory bow when she saw it was Queen Merla that addressed her. "Your Highness."

Merla eyed her with concern, although it was not quite as altruistic as it might have seemed at first glance. Though it was true Merla had no reason to delight in the woman's pain—for she was an acquaintance and subject to her and little more—what caused her to follow was a purely selfish motivation. In catching a flash of Cossack's wife's emotion, Merla had discovered a potential way to manipulate the personal life of someone in her court, and that could indeed be useful to her. Though she hardly considered Cossack any sort of threat, she knew his loyalties to Lotor were strong, and Lotor was not as easily dismissed. Besides, if Cossack's lips were as loose in private as they were in Castle Doom, odds were she had found a source of dirt on Lotor if she could befriend the woman and gain her trust. Though Allura was a more direct source, Allura also had far more reason to distrust her. Though Merla was confident she could earn that before long, why not explore all options in the meantime?

"Pardon my intrusion," the queen said gently, "but I couldn't help but notice, well... that you seem like you could use someone to talk to."

Kuryaki forced a cordial smile. "Very kind of you, your highness, but I wouldn't presume to intrude on your time. I hope that," she frowned, "disagreement I had with Cossack in the hall isn't why you're here."

Although Merla had not heard their argument, mention of it fueled her curiosity further. Even if all she learned was useless for her purposes, gossip was always delicious, especially when it involved someone she disliked, and the commander certainly ranked on that list. "No, I didn't see Cossack. Actually," she paused and joined the other woman's side in a friendly manner, "I felt your mood." Kuryaki eyed her somewhat warily at that, and Merla explained further. "An unpredictable aspect to my mind powers is that occasionally I pick up on strong emotional states of those around me without trying. It's rather like overhearing a shout when the feelings are strong enough."

The other woman sighed and turned away. "I see."

"Don't get me wrong, I _completely_ understand why Cossack's suggestion affected you that way," she said, laying it on as thick as she could without sounding insincere, "but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you how brutish he can be at times."

"No," Kuryaki conceded with a hollow laugh. "And he meant well in his way. A woman my age should know that a few weeks are hardly enough to bring about any sort of positive change in thirty-some odd years of bad manners." She looked out into the morning sky again. "But he _should_ have known better. He knows how I feel about my children."

Merla nodded empathetically and smiled at her. "Naturally."

Kuryaki returned the queen's smile with a faint one of her own. "With all due respect, Queen Merla, I do appreciate your sympathy, but you don't have children. I think that would make it difficult to appreciate how it feels to lose one."

"Perhaps, but I do know how it feels to lose someone I love, and the raw emotions of grief and loss feel the same in all of us; it just manifests differently in how we choose to express it. That's one thing I can vouch for as a telepath." Merla's face was the perfect expression of concern as she proceeded to bring up the subject she was certain would procure the woman's receptiveness. "Did you know that I met your son once? A few years ago, on Myrlon. Zarkon sent him to me on a messengerial mission."

"Really?" As Merla had predicted, Kuryaki brightened instantly at the mention of Yurak. "No, I didn't know that."

The queen nodded an affirmative. "Pleasant fellow, although a little tightly wound. It was a pleasure to meet him. It's a shame what happened to him… Doom lost a fine warrior that day on Arus." It was true enough, Merla had met Yurak and had indeed enjoyed said encounter, and it was also true that she had found the news of his death at the hands of Voltron when it reached her corner of the empire disappointing. Though brief, their meeting had been Merla's first real interaction with any of Doom's hierarchy aside from Drule Empire council meetings, and it had given her the first insight into the dark world she had eventually come to and had now become an inextricable part of.

"Thank you," Kuryaki said sincerely, her mood lightened considerably by the queen's remarks—just as Merla had hoped it would. "That means a great deal to me to hear royalty speak so well of him after," she sighed, "you know."

"Think nothing of it," Merla replied warmly. "All of that was years ago, and the Arus war is over now. There's no point in tossing around blame when it's obvious that Voltron was the real problem. But fortunately he's gone, and that's definitely worth celebrating." Merla felt a fleeting stab of hypocrisy in saying that as a part of her recalled the Voltron force helping her not long ago, but she quickly banished it.

"No, I can't argue with that, your highness. It pleases me beyond measure to know that robotic abomination is no more."

"Please, call me Merla. A girl can't have too many friends, especially when she's new to the world as a permanent resident, now can she? And I think you and I could get along fabulously." She draped an arm around Kuryaki's shoulders and kept the mischievous thought behind her smile that it would infuriate that oaf Cossack to learn that his wife enjoyed her company, especially if such girl-chat became a habit.

Oblivious to the manipulative undertone in the queen's friendliness, Kuryaki smiled back at Merla and fell in step beside her as they made their way down the hall. "Thank you, Merla. I'm quite honored."

From the shadows nearby, another pair of eyes, one that Merla was too wrapped up in her own scheming to notice, watched them depart. _Cossack is not going to be happy about this at all,_ the witch Haggar mused suspiciously in the darkness.


	3. Part Three

Though the celebration of Lotor and Allura's marriage was not all that long by Doom's hedonistic standards, for Princess Allura it could not end soon enough. If she had been uncomfortable during the state meeting and ceremony itself, she was utterly miserable during the festivities that celebrated something she could not muster genuine enthusiasm about. Though she looked forward to the prospect of being at home in the Castle of Lions again, it was a bittersweet thought, knowing that of her friends, only Pidge would still be there and Coran and Nanny… well, it went without saying that they would not understand. That and her personal laments about friends she considered more like family were, in the grand scheme of things, trivial compared to the changes that were about to happen on her world.

Dressed in his usual battle attire again, Lotor led Allura, who had changed back into her flight suit, to Castle Doom's battleship bay. "We're leaving now," he said as he looked at her, with the same intense look it seemed to her he almost always did, the one that made her feel so uncertain. "That should please you."

Allura nodded subtly. "Yes. I don't feel very at home here."

"You will," Lotor informed her as they boarded the ship.

_I hope not,_ she thought to herself, and glanced around the bay apprehensively before she climbed in the ship behind her husband.

"I've ordered the robots to set course close to Galaxy Garrison. There's an escape craft there," he gestured to a small and sleek vessel of the type commonly used as quick escapes from doomed battleships, "that you can fly into the base with. You should pick up the black lion before word of our little merger gets too widespread. They may try to steal it. Just leave the escape ship there—it's not worth returning for."

"The Galaxy Alliance aren't thieves," Allura said with a frown.

Lotor laughed hollowly. "Not to their friends, perhaps. Ask anyone of Drule alignment that and they'd beg to differ."

"The Drules have different views on a lot of things." Allura sat beside Lotor as he settled into the ship's command chair.

"You're one of us now; you should learn to accept them," Lotor replied as he waved to the robots to take off, and gave Allura a pointed look. "Or at least learn them."

Allura focused on the monitor, unable to refute what Lotor said and not quite as certain as she once was that the Alliance would not take liberties with the black lion if it was left with them. After all, they had betrayed her intentions as far as handling Lotor went when she had turned him over to them for trial. "I'll take care of the black lion," she said after her moment of introspection.

Soon they were in deep space en route to their destination. Their conversation came and went in spurts, ranging from strangely peaceful to mildly disconcerting, at least to Allura, and she was relieved when the time came for her to leave to retrieve the black lion. As it turned out, getting the lion was uneventful. Although news of her marriage to Lotor—still public enemy number one as far as the Galaxy Alliance was concerned—had spread through Alliance personnel like wildfire, when she approached alone in a Doom craft it was assumed that she came on her own from the dark planet to come home, perhaps in search of a way to sever the marriage tie since it was only logical that no sensible Alliance world ruler would willingly remain married to a bloodthirsty tyrant like Lotor. The common sentiment about Princess Allura was that she was a naïve and well-meaning girl blinded by sentiment, an extremist against a death penalty politically and at worst an annoyance to their operation—but not a danger. Arus was still a member of the Galaxy Alliance and had not perpetuated any acts of war against them or other Alliance worlds, hence Princess Allura, even as wife of escaped criminal Lotor of Doom, was regarded with little other than strange and curious looks from those at the base. She was not questioned or impeded in any way recovering the black lion.

When she approached the metal cat, its still eyes fixed in what looked like a gaze into the faraway sky, Allura felt a new surge of heartache. The looks upon her friends' faces when they had parted ways flashed through her mind again, Keith's lingering the longest as she stood outside of his lion. _Maybe someday they'll forgive me… they'll understand._ Her heart was heavy as she then thought about the past with her friends, flying the lions, about all they had done together as the Voltron Force, as a team, in those lions. Still lost in thought, Allura climbed into the black lion that had once been Keith's, and once again thought about her father and what he would think of all that had transpired.

_He would want me to do the right thing… he wouldn't have wanted me to be the cold kind of person that would stand by and let someone who didn't deserve it, someone who saved my life, die…_

Of course, Alfor would not have wanted Zarkon within a million light years of their planet, either, and that conflicting thought was enough to make Allura feel guilty all over again. As she sat down in the pilot's seat and placed the key, she closed her eyes and concentrated in the hope that the late King Alfor might send her some kind of message or sign. After a minute or two of pensive silence with no such contact, however, she resigned herself to the fact that she was indeed on her own. _Maybe my father is angry with me after all and that's why he hasn't said anything. _

"Well I can't dwell on that," Allura said aloud, even though she was alone, more to strengthen her own convictions than anything else. "Arus needs me more than ever, and I need to talk to Coran and Nanny myself before Lotor does." The princess then initiated contact with Lotor and confirmed that she had the black lion and would meet him there.

The remainder of the flight to Arus went quickly. Before long she saw the beautiful sphere of her home world vividly in her monitor, and then as she entered its atmosphere flying with Lotor's ship alongside the black lion, the welcome sight of the Castle of Lions standing proudly in the idyllic Arusian landscape greeted her. Heart pounding in her chest, she reached for the communicator to radio the castle control room. "Coran, this is Princess Allura," she said with just the slightest shake in her voice. "I'm coming home… I'm—I'm sure the others have already told you." She swallowed and blurted out the next part before anyone could answer. "The ship flying in with me along with the black lion is Lotor's. He's with me. He's…" She faltered for a moment, unable to finish her sentence, and then amended what she was going to say to, "please don't fire."

"Princess, it's you?" Coran's voice sounded on the other end with a measure of relief in it. "You're all right? Not harmed?"

"I'm fine, Coran. We're landing now. We—we have a lot to talk about."

"Prepare a royal welcome," Lotor's voice interjected over the airwaves with an air of superiority. "Your soon-to-be-queen and the king that will be at her side are to be crowned as soon as possible."

Allura frowned in her seat piloting the lion. "I'll handle this, Lotor. Please, let's wait until we're inside."

"Very well, as you wish, my dear," Lotor said, it evident from his tone that he was only deferring as a favor to her.

"We're relieved to see that you're all right, Princess," Coran said quietly. "We've been quite concerned about you."

"I understand. I'll see you soon Coran." She then ended the connection and guided the black lion to its resting place upon the statue bed outside the castle. Lotor landed his ship in the courtyard beside it, and Allura climbed out of the black lion for what she imagined would be the last time, at least if things under the new regime she had consigned her world to happened as they were supposed to. Once she disembarked, she looked up at the silent metal cat thoughtfully, only to be jolted out of her thoughts a moment or so later when she felt a strong hand on her shoulder.

"Come, Allura. Our people are waiting for us."

Eyes still fixed upon the black lion, sitting in a regal position with its gaze turned upward toward the clear Arusian sky, Allura wished one last time for some sign, a glimmer of reassurance from her father's spirit, the keeper of the lion ships, that he understood her decisions. But just as it had not at Galaxy Garrison, no such answer came either from the wind around her or the black lion itself as it reverted to its inactive statuesque form. The disappointed Allura prayed that it was not because her father was so angry he no longer wanted anything to do with her, but even searching her heart deeply she could not say for certain she knew it not to be true.

Allura nodded to Lotor, who then linked his arm through hers, and the two of them walked into the Castle of Lions for the first time as husband and wife. As they made their way to the control room, castle guards and staff gawked and gasped—ironically not all that differently than the crowd on Doom had—but none of them said a word to her. She supposed Coran had told them all what happened, and she wondered as they walked through the corridors how he had taken the news. Had he been angry? Had he lost his temper and yelled, a rare occasion for the mature diplomat, or had he only shaken his head in disappointment akin to the way she feared her father's reaction to it on the astral world was? Had Coran blamed her friends, the rest of the Voltron Force, for what she had done? Allura could see no evidence that the Voltron Force was still present in the castle. A part of her was relieved by that knowing that Lotor had orders to forcibly evict them all but Pidge, but at the same time she also longed to see their faces once again.

Finally they reached the control room, where a stern-faced Coran, a distressed-looking Nanny, and a wistful Pidge greeted them.

"Princess!" Nanny exclaimed upon seeing Allura and rushed over, throwing her arms around the princess. "Oh, my poor baby! Are you all right? I was so worried… oh, did they hurt you?"

Allura felt tears of emotion threaten to spring to the surface as she returned her childhood guardian's hug. "I'm fine Nanny."

"Of _course_ she's not hurt," Lotor said arrogantly and fixed a warning look upon the woman, who eyed him back with clear distrust.

Bowing his head only subtly, Coran acknowledged Doom's prince. "Prince Lotor." He turned to Allura. "So, Princess, what they said is true. You did indeed marry Prince Lotor."

Lotor frowned, his already thin patience steadily growing thinner. "Yes, she did. Allura is now my wife, as she was always meant to be, and _we_ are your rulers, as it should have been ever since my father defeated King Alfor."

"Lotor, please." Allura was agitated but firm. She gently released herself from Nanny's embrace and faced Coran. Even in that situation, with her as a grown adult, undisputed ruler of her world, and now a married woman, she still felt like a child facing a reprimand as she took in her former guardian's disapproving look. "I had to save his life, Coran. I couldn't let them kill him. I never would have signed the rights if I'd known—"

"As you've said," Coran cut her off with exasperation, and shook his head with a sigh. "You should have come to us first, Princess. You should have trusted us. To do something like this, to sign documents binding your empire to Lotor's…"

"Allura knew exactly what she was doing," Lotor snapped harshly at the diplomat. "And you would do well not to question your queen's judgment."

Coran's eyes darkened. "I don't know the exact protocol of it on Doom, but Allura will not be _queen _until she is crowned such, as you will not be our king, Prince _Consort_ Lotor."

Lotor's hand fell to the blade on his belt. "Are you threatening to keep Allura from her birth right?"

Nanny's eyes widened in alarm. "Of course he isn't!" She looked to Allura in a panic, and the princess stepped between Lotor and Coran.

"You always told me I would be crowned when I got married. Well I got married." Allura exhaled a tired breath, suddenly feeling much older than her mere teen years. "It's not how I ever imagined it'd be, but it's how it is, and I need to be queen to make sure Arus survives as part of the Drule Empire. It needs a strong queen more than ever, not a child princess who has others making decisions for her."

"And you will be crowned, your highness." Disappointment remained evident in Coran's eyes even though his spoken tone was neutral. "You're right, Princess, Arus does need a strong ruler. So I trust, then, that you thought of everything that can and probably will happen to this world in light of your marriage? How your people will react to being told they're Drule citizens, that the tyrants they've been fighting that have taken their families, spouses, and children as slaves and killed their sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters are now controlling their government, and that the Voltron Force has been exiled and the Galaxy Alliance snubbed when they need them most?"

"What do they need the Voltron Force for, old man?" snarled an increasingly irate Lotor. "My father agreed to free the Arusian slaves, we're paying to rebuild this world and its cities, and believe me, that's an _incredibly_ merciful deal for a planet that's balked us so many times. You and your people should consider yourselves lucky you're not dead or enslaved for defying us."

Nanny straightened beside Coran and glared at their new prince consort. "His name is Coran and he has served Arus' royal family along with me since probably before you were born," she declared hotly, too outraged in that brief moment to be afraid. "Princess, you would let this man you've taken for a husband talk to him with such disrespect?"

Outraged, Lotor straightened and drew back intending to strike her for her disrespect, but Allura moved in front of him before he had the chance. "No, Nanny," she said, trying hard to keep a handle on her churning emotions. She was angry with Lotor for being cruel to those she cared about and at the same time frustrated with them for thinking of her as a foolish child. It was then that her eyes fell on Pidge, oddly silent from where he stood behind the two of them, taking in the scene with an uncharacteristically somber look on his face. Allura's eyes locked with his only for a moment before she turned back to Lotor. "Lotor, please. Coran and Nanny are very important to me and I care for them very much. Coran has done so much for Arus, and I won't have you fighting with him. I know it's a lot to ask for the two of you to put your differences aside, but you must. Please. For the good of Arus."

"I will respect the prince consort's position, your highness," Coran said stiffly, but earnestly. "As I will your decisions—although I do not agree with them."

Lotor's eyes narrowed. "Just as long as you remember your place, Coran, we won't have a problem. After all, I wouldn't want to be forced to do anything that would cause my dear Allura pain."

Allura gave Lotor another a sharp look, but she did not say anything else about it, and instead returned her attention to Coran. "I know the people of Arus will have a hard time accepting this. I knew they would when I went into this. I'm still sorting through it myself." She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "It wasn't an easy decision, and I certainly never expected… well, I didn't know when I did it that Haggar was about to rescue Lotor from the prison. I never thought it would be like this. Lotor was supposed to stay here on Arus in my custody, and I thought we could keep Zarkon's and the Drule Empire's involvement to a minimum. I mean, if Zarkon didn't care enough to try to free him…"

Coran shook his head at Allura's naïveté. "Oh, my dear, things like this are never that simple."

Nanny patted her on the arm. "Child, I know your heart was in the right place, but…"

"But I still think we can make it work," Allura insisted on a hopeful note, and looked to her husband meaningfully. "Lotor's here with me, and yes Arus is politically tied to Doom and their empire, but that doesn't mean we have to turn our backs on the Alliance. Back on Doom we decided that I still get to make the decisions about Arus, as long as it operates within Drule Empire law. We have to let their citizens travel and trade peacefully on Arus, and we have to allow Zarkon's soldiers to be here—peacefully—so they can maintain order—"

"So they can spy, protect their interests, and report back to Zarkon." Coran did not bother to cloak his bluntness in diplomatic wording.

"You're so suspicious, Coran," Lotor sneered arrogantly. "If you've got nothing to hide and nothing treacherous planned, our soldiers won't be a problem. Of course, if your people are rebellious or treasonous to their rulers…"

Allura frowned. "We discussed this with Zarkon. I made him agree to let Arus and its people live in peace. He said he would." Coran and Nanny exchanged increasingly dubious looks between themselves and then with Pidge, who only shrugged, while Allura continued to attempt to convince them. "What Lotor said before is true—they _are_ going to rebuild the cities and free our surviving people. I know it's not what we wanted exactly, but it ends the war. That's something, isn't it?" She searched their faces for any hint of understanding or acceptance.

When she was answered with a long and tense moment of silence, she went on to say, "He and Lotor both agreed they wouldn't attack any Alliance worlds from here. And as long as we don't help Alliance worlds work against the Drule Empire specifically, there's no reason Arus can't be on friendly terms with them, that we can't stay a part of the Galaxy Alliance and help its people in need. They haven't told you that Arus has been removed, have they? They let me into Galaxy Garrison to get the black lion without any problems…"

"Our standing in the Galaxy Alliance is still secure. For now." It was clear from Coran's expression that he did not have any confidence it would remain that way.

"What would cause that to change?" Lotor said with an antagonistic edge to his voice. "Don't tell me a mere diplomatic association with a Drule Empire world is enough to earn their contempt, even with Commander Hazar's and Merla's recent attempts at friendly negotiations?"

Coran scoffed. "The intentions of Queen Merla would be far less questionable had she not just wed herself to your father to gain more political strength for their kingdoms within the Drule Empire."

Lotor's eyebrow rose in surprise. "You know that?"

"Yeah, they know," the previously silent Pidge spoke up. "We told them."

"We?" Allura said, but Lotor cut her off before she could say anything else and strode over to where the youngest Voltron pilot stood.

"That's right. Where are the others of the Voltron Force, aside from the one that was permitted to stay?" He eyed Pidge suspiciously. "And I must say I'm surprised to see you stayed behind when your friends did not, for all your talk of loyalty."

Pidge straightened against Lotor's intimidating glower. "I'm full of surprises."

Lotor was not impressed. "Where did the others go? And where are the lions? I want the keys. You were to turn them over to us."

"They were to turn them over to _me_, Lotor," Allura corrected firmly. She grew increasingly frustrated with Lotor's behavior. Although he had agreed to not harm her friends, it was clear that he was going to test the limits of his word and what she would tolerate. That bothered her; for someone who professed to love her, it did not seem that he was very willing to consider her feelings before his. She supposed she should have expected that from a man as selfish as Lotor, but a part of her was more than a little disappointed, for she had hoped that the good part of Lotor she knew existed somewhere inside of him would emerge once she gave herself to him. Perhaps it would just take more time…

She pushed the thought aside and focused on the more pressing matter at hand. "Pidge," she said softly, meeting her young friend's eyes, "Where are the lions and the keys?"

He reached into his pocket and retrieved the lion keys in his possession, and handed them to Allura. They were still warm as she uncurled her fingers and looked down at the three keys he had given her, the golden metal in their crests glistening against the colors inlaid in the design under the lighting of the control room. She blinked as she stared at them. Something was not right…

"Only three?" Lotor growled suspiciously, eyeing the keys in her hands like a prize. "You have the key to the black lion, Allura, but there are four other lions. Does this mean the key to the blue lion was destroyed in its crash?"

It was then that Allura pieced together what was off. The three keys she held were to the green, yellow, and blue lions—it was the red one was missing. She rubbed her index finger against the coloring on the blue lion key and murmured, "But this _is _the blue lion key…"

"What?" It was only when Allura saw Lotor's eyes grow wide in outrage that she realized belatedly that she had just made a grave error in judgment musing that aloud where he could hear her. In a flash Lotor drew his light sword and held it against Pidge's throat. In that instant Nanny screamed and grasped Coran's arm while he in turn gasped in horror. Pidge himself went numb with fear as the deadly blade came at him and the ominous glow of its radiation tingled against his skin. He closed his eyes to brace himself for the inevitable…

"Lotor, no!" the horrified Allura shrieked.

Lotor's hand was stilled only because the shrill protest of his precious Allura gave him pause—for the moment. "We gave them the benefit of our trust, Allura; a day to leave the planet and turn over the keys. In return he tries to fool us by giving us a key to a lion that's destroyed while hiding one to a lion that isn't?" His voice snarled with unbridled contempt and accusation. "You have exactly one chance to explain yourself, space explorer, before I give you the only fit punishment for a traitorous rebel _citizen_." He enunciated the last word with enough sarcasm and venom that if it were tangible it would curdle milk.

"Lotor!" Allura's voice grew teary, and she faced Pidge with a pleading look that silently bade him to cooperate and tell Lotor what he wanted to hear. With each passing moment she had less faith that the sway of her affection could save her friend's life if Lotor was provoked into a rage, and it frightened her. If she would ever be able to bring out the goodness in Lotor, it was clear from that display that her work was cut out for her. "Pidge…"

The green lion pilot took a steadying breath and opened his eyes, facing the angry Doom prince holding him at sword point. "I don't have it," the shaken Pidge said, and pulled out his pockets to prove that they were empty. "If I had it I'd give it to you, Princess. You know that. But I don't. Lance took it with him."

Upon hearing that, Lotor let out an unintelligible growl of fury and swung his blade wildly, not at Pidge directly, although he still ducked out of the way and skittered back a few feet regardless. Lotor reined in his temper enough to stop him, however, and roughly grabbed Pidge by the arm. "Where is he?"

"Don't hurt him!" Allura pleaded, her eyes shining with tears of both frustration and fear. "Lotor, if you—"

"I won't kill him," Lotor seethed furiously, "but if he continues to lie and play games with me he'll wish he was dead." He stared Pidge down with a deadly glare. "For _Allura_, I'm sparing you, but don't test me. Tell me where the red lion is, now!"

"He left in the red lion and didn't come back," Pidge answered with angry honesty. "He didn't tell me or the others where he was going."

The furious Lotor tightened his grip dangerously, while Pidge's eyes darted in Allura's direction with renewed urgency.

"Lotor, _please_!" Allura insisted.

With an even angrier scowl, Lotor then threw the boy backward and glared at him with unmitigated hatred.

Allura ran to his side to help him back to his feet. "Pidge, where did they go? Just tell us what happened."

Thoroughly worn and disgusted, Pidge looked down. "Lance was upset, Princess; real upset." He sighed. "We all were. But Lance more so than the others. He lost his temper and took off in the red lion before any of us could stop him." He looked up again and met her gaze. "Keith and Hunk didn't want to break their word to you to leave the lions so they waited for a transport ship from Galaxy Garrison."

"How _convenient_," Lotor seethed. "If they're so honor-bound to their word, why didn't they try harder to stop the red lion pilot?"

"You've obviously never tried stopping Lance when he's got his mind set on something," Pidge snapped in Lotor's direction, emboldened with Allura's buffering presence and the fact that Lotor was no longer physically holding him in a death grip.

"Lance is very headstrong, Lotor," Allura said with a nod. "He was probably halfway down the chute before they even had a chance to react."

"They left in the Galaxy Garrison ship this morning," Pidge finished, and straightened out his sleeve before meeting Allura's gaze with renewed determination. It occurred to him that if that confrontation in the control room of the Castle of Lions was a taste of what Allura's marriage to Lotor had let Arus in for, Keith's decision to leave one of the team behind—even if he was that one—was a sound one. Coran, Nanny, all of Arus, and especially Allura herself, Pidge realized sadly, would need all the friends they could get. "You know Lance wouldn't steal from you, Princess. He's just angry."

Lotor's eyes narrowed; he was not swayed by the green lion pilot's account. "But he _has_ stolen from her. The Voltron lions are now her property, and that was made clear to all of you back on Doom."

"Do you know where they went, Pidge?" Allura asked. "Did they tell you?"

"Why _did_ you stay anyway?" Lotor demanded suspiciously, and joined his wife's side.

"Because I could," Pidge retorted in a moment of glib defiance that would have made Lance proud had he been there to witness it. He softened his tone slightly and then added with a glance at Allura, "And because she's my friend, and because they are." He gestured to Coran and Nanny. "Arus is my home now, so I'm not going to leave it, even if you are sinking your paws into it."

The prince's lips curled into a superior sneer. "How very _loyal _of you." He stood over Pidge and stared him down, regarding him as an insect he would just as soon squash under his boot. "So long as you, like Coran and the others, remember your place, space explorer. I'm warning you just once—betray Allura's trust and you'll pay the price."

Pidge adjusted his glasses and glared back at the prince. "_I'm_ not a two-faced liar," he said bluntly, and then added under his breath, "Hard a concept that is for you to get."

With each word out of the former green lion pilot's mouth, Lotor found his word to Allura that he would not kill Pidge increasingly cumbersome, although he still would not break it. Sheathing his light blade back in its hilt in frustration, Lotor glowered more intensely at the space explorer. "You know where they went," he challenged. "I don't believe for a minute that your Voltron Force friends would leave one of their own without a forwarding address." The Doom prince's accusatory look passed to Nanny and Coran, coming to a rest on the latter. "And you know too, don't you?"

Coran straightened staunchly and interlaced his fingers as he answered Arus' new prince consort. "Before Lance left, they had planned to go to Pollux. I assure you that we have no idea where Lance took the red lion, and we've put the word out to notify us if it's spotted. We want it back in the hands of its rightful owner on its home world as much as you do." He gestured to the console. "If you don't wish to take my word for it however, feel free to verify it with Galaxy Garrison yourself… though I would recommend you make the call, Princess, considering our Prince Consort is an escaped convict to them."

Allura shook her head. "That won't be necessary Coran."

"Pollux." Lotor's eyes lit up in pleasant anticipation of going to hunt down a rogue Voltron Force member somewhere he was not honor-bound by word to Allura to keep his temper in check. "Then that's where we'll look first." He started for the door, and Allura followed on his heels.

"Wait, Lotor. I'm going with you! _I _need to get that key," she asserted.

Lotor stopped, and smiled at her as she joined his side. Though he knew it would not be a pleasant mission for her to see him annihilate one of her former teammates, it was her decision and he respected her enough to allow her to accompany him if that was what she wanted. "Of course, my dear."

"I don't want you to hurt Lance. I want to talk to him myself. This has all been a misunderstanding."

At that Lotor could not help but scoff with laughter. "A misunderstanding. Yes, a misunderstanding that will be settled by any means necessary," he said, echoing Zarkon's words.

The reference was not lost on Allura, and determinedly she slid the other lion keys into her pocket. "It won't come to that, Lotor. I'm sure he'll give me the key."

"I hope for your sake, Allura, that you're right." His eyes burned with unspent cruel intent. "Because if he doesn't…"

"He will."

_Right? _A tiny voice inside the princess questioned.

But as she and Lotor walked out the door and back to the ship that they had left Doom together in, however, Allura was not so certain. Like so much else she had lost faith and trust in during recent times, she had the depressing thought that there was precious little she could be sure about anymore.

* * *

Before long Lotor and Allura were back amidst the stars in space, flying in the ship they had left Doom in together en route to Pollux. Allura was heartsick over all that had happened—the tense reception back in the Castle of Lions, the ugly confrontation between Lotor and Pidge, the fact that Lance was angry enough to fly off to who knew where in one of the lions putting Arus in an even more precarious position politically, and not knowing where the others had gone or what they were doing.

It seemed to Allura that everything that could have gone wrong did, and all she had wanted to do was save Lotor from death, just as he had done for her. It occurred to the princess that in a way she was being forced to endure her own trial, just as Lotor had when he had made the decision to save her from his robeast, except it was not her physical life at stake but seemingly everything else about her life as she knew it. And like Lotor, she had gambled it all for love… perhaps not the same obsessive and lustful feeling that had driven him, but for a love of what could and should be, a love rooted in kindness and compassion. Ironically, when she thought about it, in its way it was no less selfish an act than Lotor's in that it was the fact that she could not bear the guilt on her conscience that ultimately drove her to do what she had. That realization startled her, and widened the door for further self-doubt to creep in. Allura did not know what to think any longer. She longed for the days when what was right and wrong and who was good and evil were cut and dried. Dealing in ever-shifting shades of gray was confusing and distressing, and she hated it.

"Planet Pollux, there it is," Lotor said, bringing the image of the world's sphere into the viewscreen and interrupting her from her dejecting chain of thought. A cruel smile tugged at the edge of his lips. "And the energy signature of the red lion has been detected. We've found them."

Noting how far they were from the planet's surface and that the ship's technology could still spot the lions startled Allura a bit. Doom's technology was more advanced than that of Arus—not by leaps and bounds, but definitely ahead even without the benefit of the ten years to improve they gained by destroying any centers of research and development on Arus during the war—but it occurred to her only then that a little bit could make a big difference. She thanked the divine for Voltron once more, for it was clear that without him they would have been at Zarkon's mercy long ago. She kept that thought to herself, however, along with the one that followed it—that it felt very odd to be at the side of the man who had led so many attacks on her, her friends, and her world from that same vantage point.

"Where?"

Lotor entered a short sequence on the console and brought up a closer image, an all-too-familiar one that made Allura's heart ache at the sight. It was Castle Pollux, standing proudly amidst the lush green fields against a peaceful blue sky. _The first time I saw it they were our enemies and had been for generations. Then things changed and they became one of our strongest allies and best friends. Romelle and Bandor are like family, they _are _family distantly enough,_ Allura thought wistfully as her eyes grew misty again. She prayed that they still would be, but an inner voice of intuition warned her to not expect as friendly a welcome as she might have just a few days prior, especially not in Lotor's ship.

That point was driven home a moment later when a searing blast of laser fire erupted around them, blinding the viewscreen for a moment and filling the bridge with the sounds of battle. If Lotor was concerned about it, however, he did not show it and instead he laughed. "Fools. Do they think I'd fly onto their happy little world without my shields rasied?" He then returned the fire, targeting Castle Pollux.

"Lotor, please don't—"

"They fired first, Allura."

"I know," she replied with a frown, "but they don't know I'm here and why we're here. We need to open up communications and talk to them! They probably think you're just another slave ship."

_Slavery is too good for the likes of Princess Romelle, Bandor, and their Voltron Force friends,_ Lotor thought viciously, but he left it unexpressed aside from a dark twinkle in his yellow eyes. "Very well." He gestured to the console. "Call them, my dear, and open up diplomatic relations."

Allura nodded and pressed the button. "Calling Castle Pollux. Come in Castle Pollux. Please—this is Princess Allura. Don't fire. We aren't here to cause trouble." The laser fire ceased, and Allura's hopes rose when the image of Prince Bandor came on screen. "Bandor! It's—"

"You've got a lot of nerve coming here, Princess Allura." Bandor's angry look and hostile tone caught the princess off guard. _The last time I saw him look at me like that was when we first went to Pollux, when we were enemies…_

"Bandor, Lotor and I—"

"Lotor," he said furiously, "How could you marry him, Allura? After all he did, all the people he hurt, what he did to our world, your own world, to Romelle, to Avok and my father!"

Allura felt a fresh surge of emotion. "I know you probably don't understand…"

Eyes burning, the young Polluxian prince stared at the Arusian princess incredulously. "You're damn right I don't understand!"

Allura was taken aback to hear the normally well-spoken Bandor curse, while Lotor found it amusing. "Tsk-tsk little boy, I don't think your governess would like to hear you speaking such a way to a princess."

"Shut up!" he hollered with a glower at Lotor before turning back to Allura. "How could you do it?" he asked again, a highly emotional note creeping into his angry words. "You turned your backs on us, Allura, for him? For the man who killed my father and brother, who raped my sister, who hurt Sven so bad he nearly lost his mind?"

"Your sister was lucky to be so much as touched by me, and a fool to reject me," Lotor sneered at the boy prince. "And Sven? Please. Mogor was the one who threw that wretch into the Pit of Skulls, and if he wasn't already dead, I'd have him shot for his incompetence in not finishing off a Voltron pilot when he had the chance."

Allura was too stunned at the hurtful words from Bandor to even realize that Lotor never denied doing something so heinous to Romelle or the implied vicious intent toward Voltron Force members. "Bandor, please," Allura said softly. "I know you're angry, and I don't blame you. But I promise I never turned my back on any of you."

"No?" Bandor challenged. "What do you call throwing Keith, Hunk, and Lance off of Arus? What do you call taking their lions?"

"Keeping them out of Zarkon's hands!" the frustrated Allura responded. "I kept the lions and made Zarkon promise not to use them. Lotor too!"

"Oh yeah, their promises are good for a lot, aren't they?" retorted the young prince. "Ask my father; ask Avok how good their word is! Oh yeah, you can't because one was driven out of his mind and one's dead! Because of _them_!" He sounded angrier than Allura had ever heard him, and as his young eyes blazed with that hatred directed at her it felt like a knife through her heart. "I guess it's as good as your word." He looked down, utterly disgusted. "Maybe our ancestors had the right idea about Arus and its people after all."

Tears spilled down Allura's cheeks. "You can't mean that, Bandor." When he said nothing and only glowered back at her with the same hateful resolve, she forced herself to regain composure. "I'm sorry you feel that way."

"Yeah," he said coldly, with more than a small measure of hurt in his young voice. "Me too."

_He's young and impulsive,_ Allura tried to tell herself. _Maybe Romelle will understand better… she's older…and we're much closer…_

"May I speak with Romelle?"

At that Bandor's head whipped back up. "Romelle doesn't want to talk to a traitor like you any more than I or the others do. Maybe less. After all, what is there to say to a 'friend' who'd marry the monster that raped her, killed her family, and attacked her planet?"

Allura blinked with a fresh wave of shock at hearing Bandor call her such. "I care about you and Romelle very much, Bandor, whether you believe it or not!" she said hotly as new tears welled up in her eyes despite her best attempts at not crying. "It had nothing to do with you! I couldn't watch Lotor die!"

Lotor scowled as he beheld Allura's distress, both because he genuinely did not like seeing her so unhappy and because he loathed the one who made her feel that way. In his mind, that was why he should have come without Allura and she should be at home on Doom or at least back in her own Castle of Lions, away from those who would cause her pain. It was also why he felt he should be allowed to eviscerate those who would put her in such a state. While it would hurt her temporarily, it would ensure they would never do so again. He walked over to his beloved and put an arm around her shoulders. "Love like Allura's is something rare and to be treasured. You're an even bigger fool to scorn it, and her."

"You said the others," Allura said numbly. "Do you mean Sven feels that way, or are Keith, Lance, and Hunk there too?"

Ignoring Lotor, Bandor replied flatly, "What do you think? I told the Voltron Force they're welcome here anytime, a place with real friends that won't turn their back on them."

"Good," Lotor cut in sternly, "Because we're here to take the red lion that Lance 'borrowed' back. Since clearly, someone so righteous and moral as a member of the Voltron force would not _steal_ it from its rightful owner, Princess Allura."

Bandor scowled. "You won't land on this planet if it takes every last blast the castle has to keep you off of it."

Lotor's eyebrow rose and he reached for the console. "That could be arranged."

"No!"

"They've had their chance for peace, Allura. They're stealing it from you, reneging on their bargain, on terms you gave in good faith."

Allura rushed forward and slammed her hand down on the panel, wedging herself between it and Lotor. She faced the viewscreen desperately. "Bandor, please. We'll just take the lion and go. I'll come out alone, Lotor will stay here, and Lance can give me the key. Then we'll leave. You won't have to talk to us again if that's what you want, and we won't come back. I promise."

The Polluxian prince let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah. You promise. Lotor made promises too. I hope for your sake his to you are better than the ones he made to us."

Lotor drummed his finger impatiently. "It's your choice, Bandor. You can meet with Allura peacefully and give her the key to the red lion, or we can level Castle Pollux."

Bandor stiffened and his face darkened with renewed hatred. "Try it. You've got one ship, a small one, and we have the castle defenses, the backing of the Galaxy Alliance, and the red lion. You know how well a dinky ship like that will stand up to one of _them_."

"Please!" Allura pleaded desperately, trying in vain to appeal to both of them and keep things from escalating. "Bandor—"

"Enough lying, Allura!" Bandor slammed his hands down. "You might've fooled me in the past, or who knows, maybe you really _do_ think Lotor's telling the truth—but either way, _I _know how Lotor operates and I'm not going to just hand him one of Voltron's lions. He's gotten enough help enslaving Alliance people with you selling out Arus and what's left of Voltron to him. Planet Pollux isn't going to be a party to that."

"Very well, little boy," Lotor said icily. "Have it your way."

"Better mine than yours," the young prince snapped in retort. "Now get off my planet!" He pressed a button on his own console and the screen went black, the communication terminated from his end. A moment later the sky around them lit up in a brilliant barrage of laser fire aimed directly at their ship.

Allura screamed as their ship's shields took several direct hits and the bridge shook with enough force to cause her to stumble and fall to the floor. Lotor also nearly lost his footing, but not enough to keep him from sending a volley of fire back at them.

"What are we going to do?" the distraught Allura cried out. She did not know what to think; something she had thought inconceivable—one of her trusted friends knowingly and deliberately opening fire on her—had just happened, and she was alone with Lotor wondering if they would survive it. _How could this happen? _Allura thought gloomily. How could Bandor, how could Romelle, how could Sven, Hunk, Lance, _Keith_… do that to her? Or was it just Bandor acting alone in the heat of anger? _I can't believe my friends ever would…_

_Maybe they couldn't believe _you _would either,_ a cold and pragmatic inner voice inside her spoke up.

_No! I won't believe that! My friends, Keith, they wouldn't!_ Allura's optimistic side argued vehemently.

While the princess inwardly debated with herself and pleaded for answers from the ethereal, Lotor checked the ship's defense readings. "The little twerp was right," he said with a scowl. "Castle Pollux has strengthened its defenses since we last made any moves here." He quickly keyed in a sequence, steadying himself against the console as they endured another vicious round of fire that decreased their shields by another twenty percent. "We have to retreat. But don't worry, we'll be back, and we'll get that lion." His voice took on an edge as sharp as a steel blade as he then added once again in his father's exact words, "By any means necessary."

Unsteadily getting back on her feet as their ship blasted out of Pollux's atmosphere and back into the safety of deep space, Allura said with a note of dread in her voice, "You don't mean…"

"Oh yes I do," Lotor said with a fierce determination Allura could tell instantly it would do her no good to argue with. It was the same way he had in the past spoken of how she would be his bride and would be at his side, whether she liked it or not, and how he had spoken to her when he had taken her captive against her will to achieve that goal. How ironic, she mused in a brief and woeful moment.

"Lotor…"

Doom's prince bent down and tenderly lifted his wife to her feet. "There's no choice, Allura. Bandor made his decision to perpetrate an act of war on us."

Allura sighed in Lotor's arms and looked down. "I know it looks that way, but—"

"But nothing." Lotor tipped her chin up to meet his eyes, burning with intensity. "They stole the lion from you. If they meant to give it back, they would have taken the chance _you_ kindly gave them."

"Yes but maybe…"

Lotor's gaze intensified in challenge. "Maybe what? What was there to misunderstand, Allura? They opened fire. Your friends have turned their backs on you, violated your trust. They are unworthy, meaningless."

Allura found herself struggling not to cry again. "I never wanted it to be like this, Lotor! They're my friends! I don't want to hurt them."

He smoothed a gloved hand down her back. "And that is why you, my beauty, are superior to them. They don't deserve your compassion."

She choked out a rueful laugh through the tears that spilled down her cheeks. "That's what they all said about you."

Lotor smiled, a smug and victorious smile, and pulled her close. "And I thank the gods that you didn't listen to those inferior fools." He stroked her hair, pulled back into a bun, lightly with affection. "But you can trust that my love for you will never turn so easily. You know that when I say I'll die for you—I mean it."

As Allura stared back into his eyes and thought about the events that led her to be with Lotor in such a way, she supposed she could not argue with that. In his way, Lotor did love her that fiercely. If only that love had not come at such an awful price…

"I don't want you to kill them…" she whispered, locked in his gaze.

"You have my word that I'll do everything I can to avoid that… but war is unpredictable, Allura. That is the best promise I can make _and_ keep." He pulled her body against his in an embrace.

She sighed against his muscular chest. "There's no other way?"

He broke apart from her and straightened, meeting her gaze with renewed seriousness. "Opening fire on us like that after making a peaceful offer to negotiate the return of property rightfully ours—yours," he amended quickly before she could object, "was an act of war. The Drule Empire will expect nothing less than full retaliation for such an insult. Especially in times they've made grudging concessions of peace to Alliance worlds. It's a blatant slap in the face to those of the council who have condoned the negotiations of individuals such as Hazar and," he added with a slight, almost imperceptible snarl as he said her name, "Merla."

Allura opened her mouth to speak, but Lotor put a finger to her lips. "I know you feel sorry for them, that you feel you were wrong, but that's how they _want_ you to feel, Allura. Guilty. It eases their consciences to pass the blame to you. The simple fact is they took the red lion from you and they won't return it because they don't trust you. They have no faith or trust in you."

"I can't believe that Keith… that Lance and Hunk…"

"Perhaps not them, but Bandor? You saw it for yourself." As she started to turn away, he turned her head back to meet his eyes once more. "There _is_ nothing else we can do but take it by force, Allura, and punish those responsible. I'm sorry."

"The innocent people of Pollux…"

Lotor patted her shoulder reassuringly. "You have my word that I will give orders to strike only military targets—no civilians."

"Just to get the lion back."

"The war council will decide the ultimate ending point," he said, leaving it unspoken that the council was his father, himself, and the upper echelon of the fleet such as Cossack and the high admirals, perhaps with some input from the Drule hierarchy if they wanted to get involved. "But you have my word that I will make your wishes well known and I will speak on your behalf."

Allura withdrew from Lotor's embrace and sat down in one of the seats, overwhelmed with emotion. "I believe you, Lotor, but…" Her voice trailed off as she collected her thoughts. "I just don't know anymore."

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Rest, my love. You've earned it. I'll take us home."

She looked up at him. "To Arus?"

"To Arus," he told her with a reassuring smile. "You will sleep in your bed tonight, secure and peaceful, with the friends that _did_ remain loyal to you." Although Lotor had serious doubts as to whether the former green lion pilot could be trusted, he supposed that there was little harm he could do in a brief time frame and Allura would find his presence comforting. Besides, although Lotor did not like Coran or Nanny, he _did_ believe that the two them and by corollary, the Castle of Lions staff, would remain loyal to Allura ultimately.

That time Allura did notice the subtle implication of Lotor's statement, namely that he did not include himself in it. "What about you?" she queried.

Lotor's eyes widened ever so slightly. "I will go back to Doom. Briefly," he emphasized, and then added, "I need to discuss this with my father personally, and gather the resources needed." He looked at her intently again. "Allura, I trust you will tell me if you hear any news of the red lion and keep me informed?"

She nodded, and Lotor leaned over to kiss her on the lips. "I won't leave you for long." His smile returned as they broke apart. "I want this over as quickly as you do… the sooner we settle things on Arus, the sooner we can begin our lives together the way we dream of."

_This isn't what I ever dreamed of,_ Allura thought wistfully, although a part of her still imagined a pleasant fantasy where Lotor's deeply buried tenderness blossomed into that of a caring, devoted prince of a husband, one who stood beside her on Arus and watched their children play in its green fields. Lotor was not the man of her dreams, but he could be a decent man given the time and chance to distance himself from his father's ways to become one, she believed.

Lotor watched as a faint and hopeful smile tugged at Allura's lips and her tired eyes closed in the chair. "Rest, my dear," he murmured. As he stroked her cheek affectionately, he indulged in his own fantasy about the future with Allura—that of her at his side as the queen of Doom with him as the reigning king, his father and Merla both out of the picture, and his subjects falling at their feet in worshipful adoration wherever they went. Their children would be fine warriors and beautiful princesses, admired by all and feared by some and adored by others. Arus would thrive under Doom's crest, its people finally paying homage to its true rulers, him and Allura, and a haven for them to go to when the dark world of Doom became too much for his Arusian bride.

"All that is due us will come in time," Lotor finished with a self-satisfied smile. As he noted that Allura had already drifted off into sleep, that smile broadened into a bona fide grin. _And anyone that stands in our way will live only long enough to regret it._

**The End**


End file.
